


Love Finds a Way

by artistic-writer (Itrustyoutokillme)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Jurassic World AU, killian has dinosaurs, people get eaten
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-06-24 12:28:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15630699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itrustyoutokillme/pseuds/artistic-writer
Summary: Emma Swan is the Head of Operations for David Nolan’s exotic adventure park, Jurassic World.  She has a son, Henry, and is loved and respected by her colleagues. Her life was perfect until a new dinosaur the park created, Indominus Rex, decided to escape.  Oh, and her one night stand, Killian Jones - he’s there to help contain the asset. Just to complicate things even more.  Jurassic World AU.





	1. Chapter 1

Emma Swan was a woman on a mission. As Head of Operations at _Jurassic World_ , the planet’s number one tourist attraction, she was responsible for the day to day running of the huge island resort. _Jurassic World_ was set on an island in Costa Rica, Isla Nublar, and was the brainchild of an eccentric multi-billionaire, John Hammond. Originally, Hammond had called it _Jurassic Park_ , but after some unfortunate incidents twenty years ago, the park had a new name and a totally revamped image.

It was huge. The entire island was set up like a cross between a zoo and a theme park, with thousands of paying visitors flocking to the island each year for the chance to gaze upon a real like de-extinct dinosaur. Because that was the term now that genetic engineering had brought the dinosaurs back to life - de-extinct. Emma hated it, but she was paid immensely well to keep her mouth shut and look after the best interests of the parks current owner and Hammond's friend, David Nolan. In his will, Hammond had bequeathed _Jurassic Park_ to Nolan, the eighth richest man in the world, who, just like his friend, envisioned something spectacular.

 _Jurassic Park_ had boasted, before its downfall, eight species of dinosaur, revived from their extinction by geneticist, Jon Merlin. Now, over ten years later, _Jurassic World_ could offer visitors the chance to get up and personal with fourteen herbivores and six carnivores. Merlin had worked tirelessly, giving everything he had to the project, playing God and bringing back species that people had only ever seen in books.

However, as successful as _Jurassic World_ was, Emma was being squeezed by investors. Some of the park’s latest figured had shown a drop in customer satisfaction, with the average customer never wanting to return. For the people who put so much money into the park, this was a problem, and Emma had been tasked with trying to fix it. They wanted more, something to make people rush home and share what they had seen with their friends, but for that, the park needed more money, and Emma’s main focus today was to wow a few potential investors from a telecommunications company called Storybrooke Wireless.

“Welcome to Jurassic World,” She beamed fakely, her voice like that of the park’s tannoy system. Three pairs of awaiting eyes looked over to her as she exited the elevator and approached them, the two men and a woman waiting for her arrival on the genetics floor. Emma had decided to wow them with their research, showing them what their hard-earned dollars could actually fund, and with the imminent arrival of some new baby raptors, maybe Emma would time things just right.

[[MORE]]

“Mr. Gold,” one of the men introduced himself with an extended hand, his short, cropped hair immaculately shaped on his head. He was aging, Emma could see that, and was probably the most senior member of their investment group. His attitude screamed authority, and Emma was pretty sure he was used to getting what he wanted. “These are my associates, Regina Mills and August Booth.”

“Nice to meet you,” Emma smiled, taking the woman’s hand first and giving it a shake. Regina was hard faced, her face pale against her blood red lipstick and her hair jet black. She wore a pantsuit, pinstriped and executive, and as their hands parted, she rubbed her fingers against her thumbs as if trying to wipe off Emma’s contact. “I hope your journey here was amicable.”

“It was far from pleasant,” Regina sneered.

“Ignore her,” August grinned, nudging Regina aside to shake Emma’s hand. He was kind, Emma could tell, and the youngest of the three investors. Emma hoped that he would be the deciding factor in their decision because she was sure he would be more wowed by what she had to offer than the other two. “It was lovely.”

Regina snorted a sound out of her nose and rolled her eyes. “You’d think with all the expendable income there would be a more efficient way of getting here than the boat.”

“It was a huge, luxury ferry,” August told her, amazed by her snobbery.

“Let’s just continue with the presentation, shall we?” Gold prompted, lifting the sleeve of his expensive suit jacket and casting a glance at his watch. “My helicopter leaves in under two hours.”

“Of course.” Emma faked another smile, motioning for the group to follow her. “My name is Emma Swan, head of operations. I’ll be showing you some of what we do here, and trust me when I say, you will be impressed.”

“The park is already impressive,” August told her, skipping ahead of the others and falling into step at her side. Emma gave him a smile, flattered but in no way receptive to his advances. She wasn’t against a little flirting to ensure she kept her job, as heartless as that sounded, but she knew she couldn’t charm Gold or Mills, so Booth would have to be the one she really impressed.

“Thank you, Mr. Booth,” she cooed, resting a hand on his forearm as they walked. “But operating costs are higher than ever. Our shareholders have been patient, but let’s be honest, no one is impressed with a dinosaur anymore.” She gave him a flash of her teeth through a smile and fluttered her eyelids. “Twenty years ago, de-extinction was jaw-dropping, it had the wow factor, like a good magic trick.”

“I love magic,” August grinned at her.

“But it gets stale,” Gold interrupted their back and forth. “People work out how it’s done and it’s not that fun anymore.”

“Exactly,” Emma agreed, rounding the corner through a huge line of tourists. “Kids look at a Triceratops like last years video game, and no one wants to pay the big bucks to experiences last years technology.”

“So, what are you doing about it?” Regina inquired, pushing past the crowd of people gathered around a window. They were all staring into a lab, the incubator in front of them housing six identical eggs, the almost pointed oval shapes beginning to shake under the warming lights.

“Our researchers are discovering new species every year,” Emma informed them matter of factly, pressing her hand to a palm scanner outside of the laboratory. The light above the pad turned green and the door opened, allowing them access to where the visitors could only see through the glass. “But consumers don’t want to see things from the history books. They want bigger, louder, scarier…”

“More teeth,” August added excitedly, looking to his colleagues.

“Precisely,” Emma smiled at him. “The good news? Advancements in genetic splicing have given us the opportunity to offer your company the chance to be the first to sponsor a new attraction.” Emma turned to the screen behind her, the strand of DNA spinning in a high definition image and she swiped her finger across it, the image twirling in place. “The Indominus Rex. Our first genetically modified hybrid.”

“We want to be thrilled,” Gold droned, unimpressed.

“Don’t we all?” A man’s voice made them all turn and they focused on the scientist behind them, blue coat fitted perfectly around his defined muscles and his hair perfectly trimmed into shape. Jon Merlin was in charge of genetic research, he had been since _Jurassic Park_ , and his passion for creation was unfounded. He gave them a smile and moved his hands behind his back, resting one hand comfortably in the other as he continued. “Indominus Rex was not bred. She was designed. Fifty feet long when fully grown, she will be bigger than a T Rex.”

“Each time we unveil a new attraction, attendance spikes, with media coverage and celebrity visitors that bring the eyes of the world,” Emma told them excitedly, giving Jon Merlin a knowing smile. They had them interested. “Imagine if the new attraction was a brand new, never before seen type of dinosaur? Everybody in the world, seeing it for the first time, with your company name sitting right there.”

Gold looked at Regina, who gave him a greedy smirk. “When will she be ready?” He asked, looking between Emma and Merlin.

Merlin smirked, inhaling proudly. “She already is.”

\--

Henry was easily lost in the rabble when it came to being a live in resident of _Jurassic World._ His mother, Emma Swan, was head of operations and so, for as long as he could remember, they had lived on the island. Costa Rica was not a bad place to live, and even at eight years old, Henry had spent over half his life there. But his mother never took time off, and there were only so many things he could do when not being schooled by his private tutor.

Summer vacations were the best. Henry was free to explore the park with an all-access pass, with his mother’s personal assistant Graham Humbert of course, and with each new innovation, year after the year the park had just got better. From an eight-year old’s point of view. Henry loved dinosaurs more than anything and had an incredible passion for learning how things worked, scientifically and mechanically. When he wasn’t taking things apart to learn how they worked, he was studying the simplified genetics workshops the park had to offer its visitors.

And then there was Killian Jones. Henry had only known him a few years, but he made sure to spend every waking minute with the man. Killian liked to fix things, his motorcycle mainly and was even in the process of building his own cabin out by the lake where he lived, but more importantly, he didn’t treat Henry like a child. For whatever reason, Killian had decided to live away from the main park, secluded and in the tranquility of nature, and he was never angry when Henry simply showed up uninvited. As soon as he was old enough to ride a quad bike alone, Henry would give Graham the slip and head out to Killian’s trailer.

Today, however, Henry knew Killian would be working. He had mentioned something about a raptor test and some of Killian’s big bosses coming to view his research, so with a hundred apologizes, he had told Henry he would be unavailable. Which, while a little disheartening, was immediately rectified when Killian promised to come to their house and cook dinner after he was done. Henry remembered the look on his mother’s face and the glare she had given Killian, but he still had no idea why his mother found his best friend such a bore to be around.

“So, what’s on the cards today, squirt?” Graham chimed, scanning the room that they had set foot into a thousand times. He never tired of Henry’s enthusiasm, even if it meant he had had to sit through the _Jurassic World_ DNA video introduction three times a day for the last three years.

“Genetics workshop,” Henry beamed, stretching up on his tiptoes to see over the other kids in the welcome center lobby. The room was full of activities and interactive displays and there were holographic dinosaurs roaming around and through people. Henry clutched the strap on his backpack, holding it to his shoulder.

“What’s in your lucky pack?” Graham enquired with a nod towards the slightly worn rucksack. The front pocket had a broken zip and a small tear in the fabric but Henry insisted on using it with every trip.

Henry cast a small glance over his shoulder and smiled a wide, cheeky grin. “The usual.”

“I see,” Graham nodded slowly. “Lunch, a camera, and…” Graham squinted, trying to remember what else Henry carried everywhere.

“Raptor training equipment,” Henry said absolutely.

“Right,” Graham agreed. “Of course.” The side of his mouth twitched up in a wry smile. “Find many raptors around the visitor center?”

“Killian said I would make a great research assistant,” Henry grinned proudly. “Liam too.”

“I bet they did,” Graham agreed with a tensed jaw.

“They said I could go and watch them train one day,” Henry squealed excitedly.

“I’m sure your mother would have something to say about that,” Graham told him firmly, ruffling his hair as he brushed past him. Henry nudged his head out of the way of Graham’s touch and pursed his bottom lip out annoyed.

“She likes Killian,” Henry said innocently, defending his friend.

“I wouldn’t be so sure, squirt.” Graham snorted a laugh through his nose just as his phone buzzed in his hand. He looked down at the screen and noted the reminder flashing on the cold, glass display.

Henry frowned. “Why wouldn’t she like Killian?” Henry pushed, trying to remain in Graham’s eyeline when the man turned sideways and began tapping at his phone screen with a determined look. “I mean, she likes you, “ Henry shrugged, slipping through a hologram of a Hadrosaurus.

“Hey!” Graham frowned, confused, his head snapping up from the display in his hands and his eyes narrowing at the boy in front of him.

Henry grinned mischievously. “You’re kind of boring sometimes. Killian is more fun.”

“I can be fun!” Graham said with a high pitched defensively squeak that made Henry laugh. The boy covered his mouth with his hand, trying to stifle his chuckle. “Oh, I see how it is.” Graham squinted at Henry, his lips twitching into a smile. “And what, in your opinion young sir, would be more fun?”

Henry’s lips spread into a wide smile, his eyes growing wide with excitement. “Gyro ride!” He screeched, bouncing up and down.

Graham knew Henry loved nothing more than the Gyro controls, reinforced glass balls that took visitors on an up close and personal tour of the park. Only, children under twelve were to be supervised at all times, and that meant Henry could not go alone. It was a long ride, something Graham rarely had time to accompany him on, but if it meant he would be cooler than Jones, why not.

“Alright,” Graham declared with a nod. “Gyro ride, here we come!”

\--

The control room was the hub of the park and Emma spent most of her time there trying to control all aspects of the attraction she was in charge of. Control. Her biggest regret was having it, or trying to have it, because when you couldn’t control something, the strain was immeasurable. There had been one time in her life when Emma couldn’t control the outcome of the situation, and she had regretted it every single day since, not least because of her son’s well meaning attitude towards the whole thing.

Emma Swan had loved once, but like a blind fool, she had chased away the man of her dreams with control. He had wanted to reason, but she had wanted to be right, and without compromise, they had drifted apart. But not far enough it seemed, because Henry still had idealistic views of them together and would take every opportunity to make sure they were in the same room together. But it was okay because Henry wasn’t allowed in the control room, so she was the boss here.

“What’s our live count?” Emma asked sternly, heeled shoes falling silently on the carpeted floor, a steaming cup of still brewing tea in her hands. She positioned herself between two of her analysts, staring up at the huge live action satellite map in front of her.

“Twenty-two thousand two hundred and sixteen,” Mary Margaret, the petite brunette to her right said cheerfully.

“Fantastic. Any incidents?” Emma directed her question to the second operations analyst, Ruby, the taller brunette much more carefree than her colleague. Ruby was a little untidy, her desk chaos, her clothes fashionably ripped and a red gem in the piercing in her nose.

“A few cases of heatstroke and six kids in the lost a found,” Ruby shrugged. “Nothing big.”

“How did the meeting with the investors go?” Mary Margaret asked casually. She and Emma had been friends since the park opened, both of them working there since day one. They had both watched the park evolve into what it was now, growing exponentially into one of the world’s most visited attractions. “Did you make a deal?”

“Of course,” Emma winked at her, rolling her shoulders. “They want to make money, that’s all that matters.”

“And will they?” Ruby asked from her left, steadying her hands over her touchscreen display.

“Storybrooke Wireless presents the Indominus Rex,” Emma mocked, the future marketing almost writing itself. It was cheesy, and the park had people to come up with things like this, but Emma had no doubt Storybrooke Wireless would enjoy their name in lights and the association with such a huge new dinosaur.

“Wow, that’s…” Ruby began, puffing out her cheeks.

“Terrible, I know,” Emma finished for her. “We might as well let them name the dinosaurs.” Ruby was just about to give another sarcastic comment when Emma pointed at the screen ahead of them, noticing a big red section was flashing. “Why are the west plains closed?”

Mary Margaret sighed. “Another Pachy taking a hike outside of his zone.”

“The invisible fences failed again?” Emma huffed. “Security said they are a no-fail. This is the third time this month.”

“Not the fences, the tracking implants,” Mary Margaret confirmed for her. “When the Pachys butt heads, they short out their implants and then they can roam between zones freely. We are lucky they have never roamed into a carnivore zone.”

“True,” Emma nodded, taking a sip of her bitter, green tea. “How long until it can be relocated back to it’s plain?”

“Emma,” Ruby said, her tone a little disbelieving. “He just got tranquilized. He is probably scared to death right now. How about we all show a little sympathy for the poor little guy?” Emma gave her a look. They had, on more than one occasion, butted heads themselves over the notion of even keeping these kinds of animals in a theme park. Ruby was free-spirited and despite her job, believed that she could make a difference to the animals from the inside far easier than if she was simply campaigning on their behalf from anywhere else. “I mean, you _do_ understand these are actual animals, right?”

“Of course I do.” Emma rolled her eyes. Ruby insisted on talking to her like she didn’t see the dinosaurs as anything but profit and figures sometimes. It annoyed her no end, especially when Emma herself believed she was doing the best by the animals in her care. Despite what Ruby thought she knew, there was protocol to running a park, especially one of this magnitude, and Emma had been hand picked for the job by park owner, David Nolan. She did not want to disappoint by letting her emotions get in the way of her job.

“Jurassic 1 is inbound,” Mary Margaret announced, breaking the tension between the women. Her radio message came directly from the pilot of the helicopter transporting the VIP guest. “Were we expecting Mr. Nolan today?”

“Prince Charming,” Ruby snorted, avoiding Mary Margaret’s glare as she resumed her systematic checking of all park gate security measures.

“Hey!” Mary Margaret said defensively, blushing. It was a known fact that she had a very large crush on the park owner, to everyone but him apparently, who had still to show her any sort of indication he felt the same way.

“He’s come to view the asset,” Emma explained, finishing the tea and tossing her cup in the trash can beside Ruby’s desk. “Tell the pilot I’ll meet them on the roof. We can head to paddock 11 from there.”

The sounds of the control room faded away as Emma watched the elevator doors close and encase her in the silence of the soundproof box. She reached over and pressed the ‘R’ button, the advanced electronic keypad prompting her for her fingerprint verification. The roof was restricted, accessible to only a few, and when the brushed chrome elevator doors opened to reveal the helipad occupied by the blue and white chopper, Emma let out a nervous sigh.

Her heels clicked on the tarmac, unheard through the drone of the blades as they cut through the air at a minimal speed above her. She ducked, unnecessarily, and was helped into the back of the plush, luxury helicopter by a flight crew member. She sat in her seat, opposite the park owner, who gave her a welcome smile and a nod of his head.

“Emma,” David said, his skin almost too smooth to be that of a man. Emma returned his smile, more nervous than intended. She was not a fan of flying, much preferring to drive between locations on the island, but Mr. Nolan was a keen fan of all things in the aviation field. If he could, he would fly everywhere.

“Mr. Nolan,” Emma shouted over the whirr of the blades, the chopping sound drowning her out. “So nice to see you.”

“Likewise,” David grinned. His gaze fell to his knee, his legs crossed over one another and picked at a piece of lint that had caused an imperfection of his ludicrously expensive blue suit. “So, how is my park doing?” He lifted his head again, widening his eyes a little, his grin faded into a professional but warming smile.

“Great, actually,” Emma stammered, fiddling with the seatbelt straps behind her. “We are 2.5% up on last year…”

“Lower than projected,” David noted out loud. “Are the guests not having fun?”

Emma pulled the straps into place, finally, and secured the clip. “Well, our guest satisfaction is steady, in the low end of the nineties.”

“And are the animals enjoying life?” David asked her, lacing his fingers together and resting them on his lap.

Emma paused, swallowing hard and working out to answer. David was like a family friend at this point in their professional life, but he was still her boss. She frowned, pulling the straps over her shoulders much tighter than she needed to. “I’m not sure we can measure an animal's emotional response to…”

“Sure you can,” David smirked at her, catching her gaze with the topaz blue of his eyes. He leaned forward, and mesmerized, Emma simply stared at him. “You can see their happiness or their sadness in their eyes,” he told her like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yes, of course,” Emma chuckled nervously. Handsome or not, David Nolan was a little too idealistic for her liking. And maybe a tad eccentric.

“Come on,” David told her, tapping his pilot on the shoulder and making a motion with his hands. He whirled a pointed finger near the side of his head, the signal to take off, and somehow managed to keep his pristine hair perfect when he slid on a radio headset. Emma mirrored his actions, seating her own padded ear cups over her ears and gave him a weak smile as the helicopter blades began to spin faster. “Let’s go see my new dinosaur,” he said excitedly, his words distorted by the radio channel he was now talking over.

The air around Costa Rica was perfect for flying, a little humid sometimes, but otherwise still with very little turbulence. The helicopter was smooth flying, the pilot clearly skilled, but it didn’t stop Emma being as nervous as she possibly could be. She clutched at the side of her seat, fingernails turning white and David noticed with a smirk.

“Are you nervous, Emma?” He asked her over the mic channel.

“I’m not a fan of flying,” Emma gulped, the green of the islands coppice blurring past her eyes and making feel a little queasy.

“Relax,” David said, drawing out the vowel sounds. “The key to enjoying life is to accept that you will never be in control.”

Emma nodded. It was all she could do, reluctantly letting go of the plush leatherette seating to reach for her binder on the seat next to her. David smirked, not convinced by his employee and friend’s paled expression.

“That, or take a few days off. Take Henry to the beach. Have some fun. You do know how to have fun, right, Emma?” He teased and she let out an audible squeak when the helicopter listed to one side.

“Uh, right, so, marketing thought we could offset some of the costs…” Emma began, trying to ease her nerves with a little work. She started to flick through a few pages, her fingers shaking against the white paper when a disgruntled grunt came over the radio.

“Ugh, enough about costs,” David dismissed, wrinkling his nose. “John Hammond entrusted me with his vision. _‘Spare no expense’_ he used to say. Don’t tell me you have forgotten why we built this place, Emma? Jurassic World exists to remind us of how very small we really are.”

The man spoke with so much passion and enthusiasm, for a second Emma forgot about the spreadsheet in her hand and was drawn in by his smile. He was right. Humanity was so new, still learning to find its way in a chain of existence that dinosaurs had already overcome. The park was a marvel, there was no doubt about it, giving people the chance to experience animals that were alive over seventy-five million years ago. Emma doubted she would have ever have thought this even possible when she was Henry’s age, but here they were, landing a helicopter next to a secure compound on an island in Costa Rica that housed twenty revived species of dinosaurs.

And one new one.

The blades were slowing as Emma stepped from the chopper, taking David’s offered hand to steady herself as her heels hit the gravel hardcore. David gave her a reassuring smile, letting her hand slip from his before slipping on his sunglasses, the sun blazing against his face.

“Why are you still building?” He said, looking up at the wall, the concrete being extended much higher than he had read in the projected plans.

“Asset containment insisted we build the walls higher. It's...bigger than expected.” Emma gave him an impressed look, quickly making her way past him and heading up the metal staircase to the building.

“This is good,” David grinned to himself, fingers twitching on his belt as he tried to contain his excitement. He followed Emma quickly, taking the stairs two steps at a time and feeling a bead of sweat roll down his neck as she waited for her palm print to activate the security door.

“We hit a few obstacles early on,” Emma announced with a sigh, pushing the door open and walking into the huge glass fronted observation room. There was a single security guard on duty, Charlie, the rotund man pulling his feet from the desk as they entered. Emma gave him a nod and he made himself scarce, decided to take his lunch break as silently instructed. “It began to anticipate where the food was coming from and one of the handlers nearly lost an arm. If this thing is scaring the staff, imagine how the public will react.”

Emma stepped up to a small, touchscreen control unit in front of the glass, tracking the location of the dinosaur with the heads-up display unit. A red light began to flash on the display, a small bell notification beeping intermittently.

David stepped towards the glass and pulled his glasses from his face, peering past his own reflection, out into the thick, tropical shrubs. “Smart girl,” he mused, fiddling with the designer shades in his hands.

“For a dinosaur,” Emma quipped.

“And that?” David turned and pointed to a huge crack in the bulletproof glass, something he had noticed as soon as they had walked in.

Emma looked at him, her stony face unable to hide the terror she had felt the day Indominus had tried to break through to the control room. She had frozen in fear, simply staring into the eyes of the beast which meant to kill her, only a layer of glass between them. “It tried to break the glass,” she said in a shaky voice, a chill running down her spine.

David stared at the spiderwebbed shatter in the glass, the cracks on the outside but not the inside. He took a breath, his lips twitching into a small smile. “She has spirit.”

The deep, rumbling growl of a huge predator breathing vibrated through his body and David turned to the glass once more. His jaw fell open, slightly dry lips pulling even tighter as his breathing increased and his wide eyes fixated on the animal in front of him. She was partially hidden behind some trees, the snapping of wooden branches echoing out as she moved, and David craned his neck to see better. Indominus stopped her movements, two huge thundering rumbles as she moved her feet, booming through the trees.

“Think it will scare the kids?” Emma asked hopefully, studying her bosses profile as he stared down the dinosaur.

“I think..” he paused, watching the reptilian eyelid of the Indominus slide over her bright, yellow colored eye. “I think she’ll give the parents nightmares.”

“Is that good?” Emma asked dumbly.

“It’s incredible,” David breathed, in awe. He felt like he was being devoured by her stare, the dinosaur in front of him sending a cold snap deep into his bones. She was indeed huge, not even fully grown, and yet, still able to freeze him to the spot in fear. “Can she see us?”

“She can sense our thermal radiation,” Emma said, staring out at the cat-like eyes staring through the tree line.

“Like a snake?” David prompted and Emma nodded. “Didn’t the budget cover two of them?”

“It did, and there was a sibling, in case one didn’t survive infancy,” Emma said, unable to pull her gaze from the creature as it moved again, a heavy footstep shuddering the glass in front of them.

“Where’s the sibling?” David asked quickly, excited there might be two money-making marvels in the paddock. “I can’t see the second one.”

“She ate it,” Emma said flatly.

David swallowed hard, the unease he felt from the dinosaur increasing tenfold. He shot another glance to the cracked window, jumping in his skin when he heard another tree branch break from its trunk and watched Indominus move back into the thick forest. “Are we sure the paddock is safe?”

“We have the best structural engineers in the world working to make sure of it,” Emma said with a confident smile.

“Yeah, so did John Hammond,” David said idly, inspecting the edge of the glass window. He looked down to his hands, the expensive sunglasses covered in fingerprints as he held them and began pacing along the window. The crack made him nervous, a permanent weakness to the only thing that held the dinosaur on away from whoever was in the room. “There is a British Navy man here,” he began and Emma paused the tapping on the panel in front of her. “He is part of a research program one of my companies is running on the island. Killian Jones.”

Emma let out the breath she had been holding and turned to look at the broad shoulders of her boss. “I know of him.”

“He works with raptors, who often try to escape. They are smart, but he has to be smarter. Maybe we can get his opinion? Bring him in, let him inspect the paddock.” David turned, moving back towards her. “Maybe he can see something we can’t.”


	2. Chapter 2

The mid morning sun shone brightly, the rays broken into tinier beams as they dispersed through the trees overhead. Light barely filled the ground below the canopy, the call of a tropical bird the only sound that could be heard in the remote part of the island. There was no wind, not a single leaf was moving, and the near silence was broken up by the sound of a pig squealing as it tore through the detritus along a narrow track.

The piglet rushed through the vibrant green grass, each blade swaying over his rounded, pink back as it scuttled through them. It squealed again, almost a call for help, as it willed its tiny, hooven feet to move faster. It was being chased, the thud of huge, reptilian feet pounding the ground behind it sending it into a higher state of panic. It cried out again as it rounded a corner, skidding into an open area where the track had opened out. It didn’t stop, rushing for the safety it knew was nearby; a small doorway less than twenty yards ahead.

“Hold!” A man called out, his British accent bellowing out from the platform he was currently walking on.

One of the beasts that had been chasing the piglet slid to a stop, her huge, curved claw tapping the ground where she stood impatiently. Her powerful legs held her weight, her glowing eyes scanning the area for the man that she, and her sisters, saw as a parent figure. She had a distinctive blue streak of scales down both sides of her body that began around her eye sockets and much lighter skin that the three other Raptors that joined her shortly afterwards. They erupted through the trees, stopping behind her, all of them clutching at nothing as they flexed their forefingers and communicated with low growls and rumbling purr like sounds.

“Hey!” The man shouted, his voice assertive but with an air of kindness. He stood on the metal platform over them, one hand held out to halt them, the sun behind him almost obstructing his figure from them, but in unison the four Raptors looks up, falling silent. “Okay,” he said slowly, his words that of praise as he pressed the button of his training aid with a audible click. “Eyes on me,” he told the dinosaurs in his charge, his eyes flicking between each of them in turn to assess their readiness to follow orders.

That was his assignment after all. Research into the trainability of dinosaurs. If someone had told Killian Jones he would be training Raptors twenty years ago, he would have laughed in their face and politely told them that they had maybe consumed too much rum, but after leaving the Navy, he had been snapped up by the corporate giant In-Gen to lead their research programme. Killian had since learned that his work was for the practical application of Raptors in combat, so had, of late, been stalling his bosses with progress.

Unfortunately for him, today there was a representative watching and, for once, the pack of Raptors was behaving. Except for one.

[[MORE]]

“Blue?” Killian scolded gently when her gaze fell from him. She was searching the compound in front of her, trying to scan the area for the escaped piglet she had been so hot on the heels of. She was also the beta of the pack, in charge of the others who generally followed her lead. Killian knew training the others would be easy, if Blue would just focus. “Blue!”

The Raptor growled in her throat, frustrated with her loss, but lifted her head at her alpha. Since they had hatched, Killian had asserted himself as the alpha so that when they had become large enough to eat him, like they were now, they wouldn’t have. Killian clicked his training aid as soon as she looked up to him to reward her, but gave her a scowl.

“Behave,” he warned her, pointing in her direction. Blue yipped a high pitched sound and her frustrated sister, Charlie, began hissing at her.

“Hey, Charlie!” Killian called down to the darker coloured dinosaur, holding his hand out to halt her behaviour. Charlie gave one more hiss at her sister, testing for dominance, before looking up to Killian once more. “Don’t start with that, lass!”

Killian scanned the four strong crowd in front of him again, an ear piercing shriek coming from another of the raptors who had grown impatient. “Delta!” He shouted at the one in the back, her colouring similar to Charlie but with a less pronounced stripe pattern. Delta snorted at him angrily, her deeper toned snarl accompanied with a shake of her head. Killian glared at her, giving her the same accusatory point he gave Blue a second ago. “None of that now!”

All four Raptors were now staring up at him, their sibling rivalry done with, and just a low, steady purr sound coming from their throats as they breathed. They swayed in place, their tails constantly moving for balance as they anticipated Killian’s next order. “Good!” He sang with a hint of glee in his voice. Finally, they were getting it. He clicked at the training aid once more, raising his hand above his head and waving it to the right. “And, we’re moving.”

He stepped sideways along the mesh platform, his boots making a dull sound against the criss cross pattern underneath his feet as he made his way to a bucket that hung nearby. The Raptors followed his hand, stepping sideways in the opposing direction as he turned them in the clearing. Blue hissed a snapped at the sister beside her, taking her eyes off of their alpha for just a second once her sibling knew her place and fell back into line.

“Hold!” Killian called out and the Raptors froze in place, four pairs of eyes on him, eager to receive the rewards they knew were coming next. At his words they all straightened up, their toes pushing into the dirt as they stretched to get closer to their treat source, softer, more emphatic chirps coming from each of them. “Very good, girls,” Killian said firmly, watching each of them stay still as he clicked to re-enforce their behaviour, his heart pounding in his chest. “That’s bloody brilliant,” he muttered to himself, reaching into the bucket in front of him.

Blue’s lips curled back into a snarl as she growled, a small dribble of spittle finding the gap in her teeth and falling to the paddock floor below. They had practised this tracking game a thousand times before, losing more than a few piglets in the process, but it had only been recently that the pack had become synchronised enough that they could work together. The raptors knew what was coming and as Killian pulled his hand out of the bucket and showed them a dead, freshly thawed rat, their eyes went wide with excitement.

“Charlie,” he called softly as he tossed the dead, white rodent at the Raptor furthest left. “If you behave, that’s what you get.” Charlie half growled and half snarled as she caught the dead animal and gobbled it up.

“Echo, here you go girl,” Killian called out to the runt, her bright orange stripes clearly visible down her body. He tossed her another dead rodent and she gulped it down quickly.

“Delta,” Killian shouted to the third, the Raptor’s mouth already wide open before he had thrown the carcass her way.

“Blue,” Killian called his favourite, the leader and most attuned one of the pack. They were all animals at the end of the day, capable of tearing a man apart, but Blue was different. She showed empathy, a calm, nurturing nature that made her easy to train and even easier to love. Killian held up a larger rat, and Blue gave him the purr like sound he had come to know as affection once more. “This one is for my girl.”

Killian tossed the rat and blue snapped at the air, catching it effortlessly and swallowing it down quickly. They had barely finished their pit stop meals when Killian balled a fist and raised it above his head again, but as usual, Blue was the only one watching. “Hold!” Killian called, his tone deeper and commanding. They all looked up at him, forgetting their interactions for a second and he could see their breathing shallow. “Eyes up!” Killian commanded and raised his hand higher, all four of the raptors stretching upright and awaiting his command.

Their training was over, they all knew it, but they still had to wait for their alpha to release them from the exercise. Tails began to swish again, each of them seeking balance as their toes fidgeted in the dirt and their feet danced impatiently. It was a good days training and Killian gave them one last look over, a visual inspection for health more than anything, before he gave them the release command to signal the end of their session. “Go!”

All four of the raptors took off, their screech bellowing through the trees as they disappeared into the dense forest of the paddock. The waist high grass had barely settled back into position when the sound of Liam’s laughter filled Killian’s ears as he wiped his hands on a rag, let out the huge, baited breath he had been holding and greeted his brother with a high five.

“You did it, Killian!” Liam declared proudly, pulling his brother into a tight hug. “You finally did it!” When they parted again, Killian’s heart was racing. Liam had also been in the Navy, both of the brother’s serving at the same time, but when Killian was hired by In-Gen, Liam thought the opportunity too good to pass up. How many people could say they were doing what the Brothers Jones were doing?

“They finally did it,” Killian smiled, proud of his raptor pack as if they were his own children.

“Bloody fantastic, brother!” Liam laughed excitedly, grabbing Killian’s hand and giving it a rough handshake on congratulations. Kilian was a modest man and the applause from their team make him blush a little as he gave each of the men a thankful nod in turn.

“Jones!” A voice called out, his name on the man’s tongue like poison from a snake. Walsh was the In-Gen representative sent to assess their research today, the disgusting man like a parasite on everything that was good, sucking it dry until there was nothing left. Both Liam and Killian turned at their name but quickly turned away with heavy sighs as Walsh fought to get through the crowd of men blocking his path. “I was starting to think we’d hired the wrong guys!”

Killian inhaled hard, inspecting his hands after another rub with the rag before looking over to Walsh. The gnarled, bright red scars that littered his limb were hot in the sun and Killian flexed his hand a little to ease the discomfort there. “You came on a good day, mate,” he said quietly.

“Yeah, it’s not normally a happy ending,” Liam clarified, feeling the need to defend his brother, even though Killian was his boss. Walsh finally reached them and Liam backed off a little with Walsh’s ignorance to his comment, beelining for Killian and offering his hand.

Killian looked down at the man’s hand before offering him his own, the scarred tissue covering most of his extremity a constant reminder of why Walsh was bad news. The man was money hungry, only thinking of how he could profit from their research whereas Liam and Killian had always just wanted to find out how trainable dinosaurs could be. That was their mission brief but somewhere along the line, Walsh was hired to replace their last boss, and the lines became blurred.

“Is that why you’re not sending in your reports?” Walsh asked bitterly, his smile fading. He shot a glance down to the thick scars on Killian’s hand when he felt them in his own, his eyes lingering for a little too long of the limb. He was aware of the accident but in his point of view, Killian still had two hands and so he was still useful.

“We’ve been busy,” Liam interjected, folding his arms over his chest defensively and looking down to his feet. He had to distract himself from the cretin in front of his, else he might do something he would regret.

“Not too busy to cash your paychecks,” Walsh countered with a sarcasm that made Killian wish he had never shook the man’s hand.

“What do you want, _mate_?” Killian said with a clenched jaw, stepping between Walsh and his brother. Walsh adjusted his stance, planting his hands on his hips and running his tongue over his bottom lip.

“You know what I want,” he told the brothers, so far unable to convince them. Killian rolled his eyes and Liam watched his brother’s frustration with a silent stare. “A field test,” Walsh confirmed. He had said the words on every visit so far, eager to get his money's worth out this research, but the Jones brothers had always, so far, stood in his way.

Killian sighed audibly and turned away from the tall, stick like man in front of him, huffing as he began to stalk away. Liam watched his brother go, concern etched onto his features but he was confident Killian could handle a weasel like Walsh.

“Hey!” Walsh called out to him, falling into step behind him. “I’ve just seen they can respond to commands. You need to take this research and get in moving forward.” Walsh’s words were quieter now, like he was pulling the authority card and Killian didn’t want to hear it again.

“Today,” Killian corrected him. “They responded today.”

“And they will respond tomorrow, just look at them!” Walsh grinned.

“They’re wild animals, Walsh, trust me, you don’t want them in the field.” Killian turned the corner at the edge of the platform, making his way towards the steps at the end of the walkway with Walsh hot on his heels like one of the islands ever persistent mosquitoes.

“What I just saw, that bond, that was real,” Walsh implored, stepping in front of Killian and stopping his escape. If he couldn’t be persuaded with practical application benefits, maybe Walsh could buy Killian with his love of the animals. “A bond between man and beast,” he smiled, his lips curving into a sinister smile as the words left his mouth.

“You’re in my way,” Killian told him darkly.

“Come on, Killian, we are the same, you and I,” Walsh almost pleaded, the sun beating down onto his face and making him sweat. “We are military men, dogs of war, we’ve seen the same things.” Killian ground his jaw again, trying to desperately not roll his eyes. He knew, as well as everyone else in the compound, on the whole island in fact, that Walsh had been discharged from the military way before he had seen any sort of combat. The man was delusional and to compare the two of them was insulting. “We know the military needs to reduce casualties, right? Some people think that robots are the future…”

Killian had heard enough, pushing past Walsh and continuing to the end of the walkway. He was tempted to reach behind himself and grab his knife, delighting in the way it would silence the squawking bird-like man beside him if he was to slit his throat and end his miserable existence. If only.

“Look, nature gave us the most efficient killing machines seventy five million years ago, and now we know they can take orders,” Walsh tried again, stopping when Liam came up from the other side of Killian and joined them.

“We finally make progress and the first thing you want to do is make a weapon?” Liam addressed Walsh, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth in disgust. Killian raised an eyebrow, silent agreement with his brother.

“Come on, gents,” Walsh almost sulked. “You know as well as I do that drones can’t search tunnels, and they’re hackable. The minute a real war breaks out all the fancy tech we use now is going to go dark.”

Liam stifled a scoffing sound and Killian sighed again. “But that tech won’t eat them if they forget to feed it,” he said with a knowing nod.

They had paced around the entire walkway, right back to where they began in hopes of shaking Walsh loose, but it had been no use. The man was like a limpet. The roaring screech of a raptor echoed out through the air and Killian knew exactly what Blue was trying to say when she looked up at her alpha protectively.

“Look at these things,” Walsh said dismissively as he pointed to the raptors below. “Millions of years of instincts that we can program.”

“And what if they decide they’re in control?” Liam interrupted his ramble. “They are animals after all.”

“Well, then we terminate the rogues, breed only the most obedient bloodlines,” Walsh said confidently, having no single clue on how the dinosaurs were even made. None of the animals on _Jurassic World_ were fertile. There would be no breeding of any bloodlines.

Killian gave Liam a knowing look, a smile tugging up at the corner of his lips. Walsh sounded crazier and crazier each time he visited, only now he had actually seen the raptors complete a successful command based training scenario, he was chomping at the bit to get the brother’s to agree to a field test. He might be in charge of the research, but Killian and Liam were in charge of the raptors, and without their say so, none were going anywhere. Finally, Liam couldn’t hold his laugh anymore and he chuckled, walking past both men and along the walkway amused.

“What? What’s so funny?” Walsh frowned.

“Nothing.” Killian shrugged and rested his hands on the rail in front of him, the sun burning into the scars on his left hand. “Just that you come here and you know nothing about these animals except what you want to know. You made them and now you think you own them.”

“We do own them,” Walsh said, aggravated by Liam’s laughing. “Extinct animals have no rights, Jones.”

Killian looked over the man before him one more time, Walsh’s bravado clearly a front for his insecurities. “But they’re not extinct anymore, are they, mate?”

“Exactly,” Walsh said in delusional agreement. “We have all these animals at our disposal and Nolan is using them to stock a petting zoo.”

“He’s teaching people some humility, Walsh, not making weapons.” Killian grabbed the now empty bucket from their training session and made his way down the step behind him, his feet falling heavily on the metal steps as he did so. Like a tick on a hound, Walsh was hot on his heels, another excuse on the tip of his tongue that made Killian fume.

“You think the eighth richest man in the world in just into oil, telecoms and family fun parks?” Walsh laughed as he descended the steps after Killian. “The man has so many companies he doesn’t even know what he is into.”

Killian huffed again, wishing he could let the raptors lose on Walsh. “Tell me, how long have you been practicing this little speech?” Killian tried to sound jovial, his tone jolly as he smiled to himself.

“Since we hired you,” Walsh said definitely and Killian let his anger surge to the surface once more. “You knew the end game, Jones. Don’t pretend you didn’t.”

Killian reached the bottom of the steps and made his way through a huge, metal gate into a holding area between the outside of the paddock and the raptors. He spun on his heels, slamming his hand into a bright orange button that sent out a buzz alert and electronically locked the gate behind him, trapping Walsh on the other side. Walsh continued his tirade from the outside of the fence, ranting about Mother Nature and how without the military capabilities of raptors, the animals would be stuck in an amusement park where they charge seven bucks for a soda.

“Do you hear yourself when you talk?” Killian asked Walsh with a smirk and a tilt of his head. Walsh shifted his weight, stepping onto the other foot and gave Killian that shit eating grin he always had when he knew he would win. It unnerved Killian to no end and he wondered how long they could keep In-Gen from their raptors.

“This is going to happen, Jones. With or without you boys.” Walsh gave him a nod and Killian knew he was right, but before he had time to answer, the squeal of a pig rang out through the paddock and the voice of the new guy, panicked and strangled with fear, echoed overhead.

“Pig loose!” He cried. “Pig Loose!” Killian turned to the sound of footsteps slamming the overhead grated walkway, the new guy giving up on his alert to focus on his task as pig wrangler. He threw a long pole on the barrier, ready to catch the swine as it ran his way, but just as he pulled the corded rope to tighten the noose around the pig, Echo came out of nowhere and grabbed the pig, killing it instantly and pulling the pole away from the handler so far he fell forward and over the edge of the railing.

There were men shouting, feet pounding along the walkway but they were too late to grab him and the new guy landed flat on his back in the middle of the raptor paddock. All of the wind left him and he spluttered, dazed for a second and unaware where he had landed until the walkway over his head came into view and then the unmistakable communicative bark of the raptors filled his ears.

Without a second thought for his own safety, Killian rushed the gate, hitting the open button so quickly he cursed when it opened so slowly. The new kid had shuffled backward towards him, shaking to death at the advancing raptors in front of him, Blue leading the rest of the pack as they stalked their new prey. He smelled good, fresh and tender, and Killian was sure he saw their eyes change colour as they roared out, happy to have such a prize fall into their enclosure.

“Come on,” Killian growled at the gate as it rose, the painstakingly slow mechanism pulling the heavy barred door upwards.

“Killian! No!” Liam yelled from where he had appeared next to Walsh, his face paling at his brother’s selfless decision to enter the paddock. “Bloody hell!” He cursed, opening the gate and ignoring the look of glee on Walsh’s face as he let himself through the gate and rushed to his brother’s aid.

Killian ignored his brother’s pleas, falling onto his stomach and sliding under the door as it continued to rise, dragging himself into the enclosure and never taking his eyes off the raptors. He got under the door without incident, rushing forward and shooting a glance up to where two armed guards dressed in identical uniforms were arming stun guns ready to shoot his raptors. “No, no, no,” he chanted at them, waving his hand frantically. “Hold your fire!”

The new guy was almost at the gate when Killian put himself between him and the dinosaurs, their hissing of displeasure at losing their prize now directed at him. “Hold your fire,” Killian repeated to the men overhead, not taking his eyes off the dinosaurs surrounding him. “Do not bloody fire.”

“Killian!” Liam cried out to reason with him, the gate still rising painfully slowly but enough to allow the new boy to scuttle underneath it with a panicked expression and a relieved sigh. Liam grabbed his shoulders, dragging him backward with a grunt, tossing him aside and directing his attention back to his brother. “Killian, let them contain this.”

“If you shoot these animals, they’re never going to trust me again,” he growled at the men overhead, eyes darting between Blue and two of her sisters who had begun a hunting formation. They were slowly stepping sideways, Blue the center of Killian’s vision and the diversion that would secure them their meal. Liam watched, helpless to act, his blood pounding in his ears.

“Blue, stand down,” Killian called out to his beta, the six-foot dinosaur in front of him slowly advancing still. “Stand down, there’s a good lass,” he commanded her again and in protest, she snapped her jaws in his direction. “Hey!” He growled, straightening up to appear more dominant. “What the bloody hell did I just say?” Blue hissed but stood still, her advance halted by his command.

“Delta, don’t think I can’t see you,” Killian barked to the raptor on his left, his brain fighting with his body as he held out his hand to command her to stop too. The irony was not lost on Killian that Delta had been the one to inflict the scars that so colorfully decorated his hand, and when she flashed her eyes toward the limb, he knew she knew it too. “Get back,” he told her darkly and she stopped, letting him know her anger with a high pitched roar that showed him every single one of her razor-sharp teeth.

“Good girls,” Killian soothed, eyes flicking between each of the dinosaurs in turn. Delta followed Blue’s lead, flexing her claws as she closed in on the human before her. The pig Echo had killed and was eating has filled the paddock with the scent of blood and they were eager for more. Charlie made a sideways move that caught his attention and Killian widened his arms as if holding them at bay.

“Charlie, stay, there's a good lass,” he panted, his legs beginning to shake. Charlie let out a low rumbling growl followed by the trademark raptor roar before halting, her lips curling with a snarl. When Killian was sure all three Raptors were secured if only for a second, he refocused his attention back on Blue who had crouched in front of him ready to pounce. He stared her down, his blue eyes boring into her yellow, cat-like stare, and he held her at bay with their training sign for ‘hold’ - the flat upwards palm. Blue would challenge him, he knew it, and the others would follow his lead.

He was running out of time.

“Close the gate,” he said slowly to Liam behind him. He had to time this just right, but he knew he could.

“Are you bloody mad?” Liam yelled at his brother, the nerves getting the better of his voice as it shook.

“Just do it, Liam. Trust me,” Killian said gently as not to spark an attack. The sun had risen higher now and there were beads of sweat rolling down his face but Killian couldn’t wipe his brow for a second or he would be a dead man.

“Close the gate!” The new boy repeated in a trembling voice, his body frozen in pain and panic, unable to escape the dinosaurs who could easily get to him in no time.

“Fuck,” Liam growled to himself, tearing his eyes off his brother for just a second, long enough to slam his hand into the close button and hear the buzz ring out in the compound.

The door began moving, and it was always faster to close than open, Killian knew that. He counted in his head, one, two seconds, and then spun on his heels, rushing for the gate and rolling under the door with just enough room to spare. He had only rolled into a half crouched position when the three raptors slammed into the bars of the gate, the metal vibrations with an echo and the raptor pack growling in frustration at losing their quarry.

Liam was at his brother’s side instantly, grabbing his hand and hauling him to his feet. Killian’s legs were reluctant to lift his body at first, but he let Liam pull him and managed to stabilize himself quickly, clutching his brother’s hand in a silent gesture of thank you. Liam held onto his younger brother tightly, pulling him into an embrace quickly, giving Killian no time to object.

“I’m alright,” he whispered into the collar of Liam’s shirt. “I’m alright.”

“You had me scared to death, brother,” Liam whispered back, the threatening sting of tears in his eyes receding. “Try not to do that again, alright?” Liam exhaled hard, slapping Killian on the shoulder playfully when they parted.

“Yeah, alright,” Killian nodded, letting out his own breath. He spied the quivering boy beside them, the fresh faced, skinny, blue eyed kid barely out of his teens. The kid had no colour in his cheeks and was struggling to control his heaving breathing. “You alright?” Killian asked him gently, taking a step towards him.

The new boy nodded, open mouthed and still in shock.

“You’re the new guy, right?” Killian asked him and again, the boy nodded. “Did you ever wonder why there was a job opening?” The boy frowned, his brow knitting together in thought and then his eyes going wide as he realised what Killian was trying to say. He was about to answer when snarling caught his attention and he turned, the open jaws of Charlie poking through the bars as far as she could get them, her claws gently scraping against the metal like nails on a chalkboard. The kid scrambled backward out of reach with a yelp and the raptor lost interest in her unattainable prey, rising to her feet and giving Killian one last look before sauntering off into the grass.

“And never turn your back to the cage,” he told the kid before turning back to the entrance and catching the sly smirk of Walsh.

“Nicely done,” Walsh commended him and Killian could practically see the dollar signs in his eyes.

Not only had Killian proved that raptors could follow commands, he had done it without the barriers of fences or gates, and no one had got killed. He had inadvertently given Walsh a green light and the snake of a man turned to head back to his truck with a gleeful smile.

“Shit,” Killian whispered to himself, his shoulders sagging.


	3. Chapter 3

The drive out to where Killian Jones lived was something Emma never thought she would have to do again. He kept himself to himself for a reason, constantly tinkering with his boat engine, or his motorcycle, or some other contraption that had her kid so engrossed in the man. Henry loved him, but Emma suspected that because of his lack of a father figure, or any siblings, Henry was just latching onto the only man that paid him any attention. Or that’s what she hoped. The last thing she wanted was for her very smart, very cunning son to be parent trapping her with a man only she knew she had slept with.

And Killian. Of course, he knew too but had been the gentleman he always had promised he would be and never said a word to anyone. As far as anyone on the island was aware, they were colleagues who had only interacted because of Henry’s fascination with the man. Emma knew Graham suspected more, but he had never mentioned anything, probably afraid of losing his job. He was her employee after all, and even if she had caught him glancing a little too languidly in her direction from time to time, that was all he was to her.

The dirt track Emma was driving on opened up ahead, the stabilizing suspension of the SUV keeping her reasonably steady as she hit a few potholes in the road. She clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth, aggravated by Killian’s need to be so out of the way it made everyone else's life difficult to get to him. At least, when he did hang around with Henry, he did most of the ferrying back and forth, and she didn’t have to make this god awful journey each time.

Two huge Guanacaste trees partially blocked the view of Killian’s Airstream trailer, the panels of which were beaten a dented in places. Emma parked her car under the tree, its gnarled and twisted branches swaying in the humid Costa Rican breeze that swept in from the water next to where Killian called home. It was modest, Emma would give him that, and confusingly nothing like the cocky, arrogant demeanor he exuded to everyone. Maybe he was different than she had first thought, and maybe he was more than what everyone made him out to be. But Emma liked control, and that night they had spent together gave her enough pause to make sure she was gone the next morning.

She had never regretted anything so much in her entire life.

She turned off the engine and sat back in her seat, spying the man she had come to see instantly. He was, as usual, tinkering with his motorcycle, smudges of oil across his forehead and his hair almost wet with sweat. The heat of the day meant no training of his raptors apparently, and so she knew he would be here, elbow deep in some sort of grease. He didn’t look up as she watched him through the windscreen, reluctant to exit the air-conditioned vehicle.

“Just act professional,” Emma told herself with a deep breath, tugging the spring loaded handle of the door until it popped open and stepping out onto the hard, grass-covered ground. With one last look at herself in the reflection of the car door’s window, Emma smoothed her blonde locks from her face and tried to ignore the tingle in her stomach she always got when he was around.

Killian looked in her direction as she approached, his face lighting up for just a second before he remembered that a visit from the director of operations probably wasn't a good thing. He only ever saw Emma after hours when he hung out with Henry, so he knew this was a business visit. With a sigh, he resumed the mechanical fix he had begun on his beloved Triumph, watching his hands as they worked.

“What do you want now?” He called out as she approached. He shifted his weight on the upturned metal bucket he was perched on, angling his head for a better view of the bolt he was trying to tighten.

“Mr. Jones, I need you to come and assess something for me,” Emma began, stopping just short of his bike. He halted his repair, frowning as he looked in her direction and twisted the wrench in his hands. “For Nolan,” she corrected quickly, placing her hands in front of her body so as not to appear too threatening.

“Why are you calling me ‘Mr. Jones’?” He asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her, his lips curving into a teasing grin. He knew she had to keep this professional, just like she always tried to, only this time there was no Henry around to make sure she kept her hands to herself.

“Killian.” Emma relented, twisting her fingers together awkwardly. “If you’re not too busy.”

Killian let a laugh tumble from this throat. “I’m actually very busy, love,” he said flippantly, reaching beside himself for the bottle of water he kept nearby. It was a poor distraction, but he couldn’t keep looking at her without her son nearby to stop him from telling her how he really felt.

“We have an attraction-,” Emma sighed but he cut her off as soon as the words had left her mouth.

“Funny, I thought that but you were gone when I woke up.” Killian pushed himself to his feet, the sweat rolling down the divot on his spine under his shirt that was already tanned from the dirt of the day. The top three buttons were open to air his chest, and the chest hair Emma remembered so vividly poked out of the space. When he turned to face her, he caught Emma’s looking him up and down and smirked, running a finger over his lips.

“I’m talking about the dinosaurs, Mr. Jones. If you could just come and take a look-,” Emma babbled, her patience wearing thin. She needed to get away from him, but as he started to walk her way, the sway of his hip in his skin tight faded black jeans gave her cause to blush.

“Kil-lian,” he said firmly, accenting his name, the roll of his tongue something Emma remembered all too fondly between her legs. “You didn’t seem to have any trouble remembering my name that night,” Killian teased, watching her roll her eyes.

“We made a new species-,” Emma said flatly, ignoring his attempts at flattery.

Killian frowned, a sinking feeling in his gut making him suddenly queasy. “You just made a new dinosaur?”

“Well yeah, it’s kind of what we do here.” Emma batted away some annoying insects that had begun to assault her face, swatting the air with an annoying tut each time she missed the offending bugs. “The exhibit opens to the public in three weeks and Mr. Nolan wanted me to consult with you.”

Killian’s arm shot out and he caught the bug that had been buzzing around Emma, squashing it between his fingers with so much skill it made Emma pause and hold her breath for what he was about to do next. He brushed his fingers down his jeans, ridding them of the bug guts before giving her a coy smirk. “You want to consult here, or in my trailer?” He grinned, running his tongue along his teeth.

“You’re not funny,” Emma huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m a little bit funny,” Killian laughed, giving her a wink as he turned away from her. Emma let out the breath she had been holding, scared of what he might have done. He was standing so close she could feel the heat from his body, the sexual tension between them more than palpable, and the tone of his gravelly voice had suggested his joke was in fact, not even intended as such.

“We need you to evaluate the paddock for safety concerns. Vulnerabilities,” She clarified as he toyed with another wrench from the set on the rickety wooden bench behind him. He inspected the head of it, not really needing to because he knew it wasn’t the one he required, and then looked back up to her with the soulful blue eyes she would always get lost in as he ascended the steps to the deck surrounding his trailer.

“Why me?” He shrugged, entering a narrow doorway, the sound of metal wrenches rattling around.

Emma sighed. This was harder than she had anticipated. Maybe she should have just called him. “Mr. Nolan thinks, since you can control the raptors-”

“I don’t control the raptors,” Killian corrected her quickly as he exited the tiny shed type building. “We have a relationship, based on mutual respect.” He walked back along the deck towards where she was standing, tapping the wrench into his palm.

“Are we still talking about the raptors?” Emma asked slowly, looking down at her feet. She had never apologized for leaving someone alone in bed before, but it was clear she had hurt Killian. He shameless flirting was a ruse, even she could see that, hiding his true feelings for her that had clearly never gone away. “I’m sor-,” she began, but he cut her off.

“You want to control everything, and you run from what you can’t. That’s why I woke up alone,” He told her with a shrug, brushing past her as he twisted the head of the wrench in his hands. The sound of clicking was almost drowned out by Emma’s gasp.

“Excuse me?” Emma spat, aghast.

“Was I at least good?” He gave her a twisted grin, enjoying the way she blushed under his questioning.

“I’m not talking about this,” Emma shook her head, turning to head back to her car.

“Nevermind, I know I was,” Killian smiled boyishly, catching the glare in her eyes as she spun back to face him. He licked his lips as she stormed back towards him, reseating himself on the metal bucket that groaned under his weight. He loved her when she was fired up, secretly wishing he could it more often, but he would take this encounter for now.

“Look, can we just focus on the asset, please?” Emma ground out, her jaw a little clenched.

“The asset?” Killian cocked his head, standing to meet her once more. He pulled a rag from his back pocket, the fabric worn and full of holes, and proceeded to wipe at his hands. He was done working on his bike for today because clearly, again, the geniuses who ran the park were idiots. “Look, I get that you are in charge around here,” he started, rubbing at his hands a little too furiously as he once again walked towards her. “I get that you have to make a lot of difficult decisions, and it’s probably easier for you to think of these animals as just numbers on a spreadsheet. But they’re not, love. They’re alive.”

Killian was passionate about animals, he always had been, and always thought of himself as lucky to live in a time where a man could get up close and personal with dinosaurs. He had been honored to have been hand picked for his research program, really believing he would be doing good in the world, but had since learned that the people in control never wanted what was best for the animals they created. All they cared about was the income, profits, and losses.

“Yes, I am aware,” Emma told him sternly.

“Are you, though?” He quipped sarcastically. “You might have made them a laboratory, but they don’t know that. They are just thinking about food and fucking,” Killian said smoothly, accenting the last word as he let his gaze roam over Emma’s figure like she wasn’t even clothed. “You can relate to at least one of those things, right?”

“I’ll be in the car,” Emma shook her head, rolling her eyes at his antics. She stormed off towards the car once more, stopping to give him a disgusted face and waved her hand at him. “You might want to take a shower. They are very sensitive to smell.”

\--

It was a quiet ride to the paddock, each sitting in complete silence on either side of the car. Killian felt weird, preferring his motorcycle to any other mode of transport, and idly watched the trees whip past the window outside. The paddock itself was not that far away from his trailer, on a more secluded part of the island where they often raised their new dinosaurs. Killian had heard the roars of this new creature lately but didn't recognize it as anything the park already had on show, and Emma had confirmed this with her earlier story.

He looked over to the driver’s seat, the concentration of Emma’s face reflected in how hard she was gripping the steering wheel. He watched her profile, as perfect as the night he had watched her sleep beside him, ignoring the pang of anger that crept into his gut feeling when he remembered he had never got to see that pretty profile in the sunrise. Emma was flighty, he knew that now, but he was absolutely sure she wouldn’t throw herself from a moving vehicle to escape him.

“Why do you hang around with my son?” Emma asked him suddenly as if reading his mind. She kept her eyes trained on the road before her so as not to hit any low hanging branches that might spell the end of their short journey.

“Henry?” Killian asked dumbly, enjoying the way she cast him a quick glance to affirm her question. “He’s a smart lad,” Killian said honestly, returning his own gaze to the side window. “He has the potential to be something great and if I can help him with that, then why not?”

“So, it’s not to get closer to his mother then?” Emma asked, a little hurt that his initial answer hadn’t included her.

“Certainly not,” Killian shook his head. “I might be many things, Swan, but I would never use Henry like that.” Killian looked back at her, unable to decipher the reason for her questioning from her profile alone. “Henry means too much to me. And besides,” he said with a smirk. “I don’t need an eight-year-old wingman.”

Emma let out a soft laugh, raising an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure? You haven’t dated since we, well, you know.”

Killian raised his own eyebrow back at her in response, toying with the patch of skin behind his ear. “And how would you know that, love?” Killian asked quickly, intrigued by her line of questioning more than irritated.

She gave him a soft smile. “Henry, of course.”

“Of course,” Killian agreed. “The lad does spend an awful lot of time with me. He would have noticed a girlfriend. That and he thinks we should-”

“How do you know that? What has he told you?” Emma slammed on the brakes, the car skidding to a stop on the gravel outside of the compound wall. Killian’s hand flew out against the dashboard, helping slow the motion of his body as it fought against the seat belt restraint. She turned to her head towards him and Killian could clearly see some panic in her eyes.

“Be friends,” Killian finished his interruption slowly, watching Emma’a body sag in the seat beside him. He smirked, his lips twitching into a smile that he was unable to hide as her cheeks flushed red and she let out a breath. “It’s alright, love,” Killian teased. “I won’t let anyone know you have a crush on me.”

He exited the car before Emma could answer, the slam of the door drowning out the sound of her huff. Emma followed him out, watching him as he took in the huge, concrete wall with a concerned stare. He shot her a look, one that said he was uncomfortable, even before she walked past him in full business mode and began her speech about the so-called ‘asset’.

“Every few years the park has to come up with a new attraction to invigorate the visitors and keep up numbers. Corporate felt that a genetic modification would give us the ‘wow’ factor back,” Emma said cheerily like she was pitching the idea to a new investor.

“They’re dinosaurs, a previously extinct creature. Is that not wow enough?” He followed her up some metal stairs, her heels clicking on the steps each time she took a step. Killian tried not to watch the way her hips moved in front of him, lagging behind a few steps in case any of the construction crew noticed.

Emma laughed, smiling to herself. “Not according to focus groups. This dinosaur makes us relevant again.”

“What’s it called?” Killian asked quickly, watching the steps where he feet fell on his ascent, desperately trying not to watch her arse.

“The Indominus Rex,” Emma said, reaching the top of the staircase. She heard him laugh, a deep, throaty rumble that made her turn to look at him. God, he was gorgeous when he smiled.

“The Indominus Rex? Who came up with that?” Killian lifted his gaze once more, tickled by the name and the expression on her face.

“We needed something scary but easy to pronounce. You should hear a four-year-old try to pronounce ‘ _Archaeornithomimus’_. Emma reached for the keypad on the wall beside the door, keying in her high-level security code before swiping her keycard. The door slid open and she crossed the threshold, leaving it open for him to follow.

“You should hear you trying to pronounce it,” Killian grumbled. The name was ridiculous, too modern and laughable to be a real dinosaur, but as he followed her into the control room, it became abundantly clear what kind of creature they were dealing with.

The paddock was huge, covered in the tallest trees Killian had seen in any enclosure so far, clearly there to allow the dinosaur to hide. They were increasing each wall by at least five huge, six foot wide lengths of concrete, something Killian worried about down in his stomach. He approached the glass, peering out past his reflection into the seemingly empty enclosure, and it didn’t escape his notice that one of the panes of glass had managed to be cracked from the outside.

Whatever this dinosaur was, he was already worried about it.

“So, what’s this thing made of?” He asked casually, putting as much distance between him and Emma as he could. Watching her walk up some stairs in front of him had had an undesired effect, one he was trying to fix with distance. There were at least two huge window panes between them now, and he stood as close to the control room guard, Charlie, as he could.

“The base genome is a T Rex and the rest is classified,” Emma told him, turning to face him and bracing for the inevitable string of questions he would have. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and swallowed, catching his gaze.

“You people made a new dinosaur but you don’t even know what it is?” Killian’s words were interrupted by a nervous laugh, his hands finding his hips and his fingernails digging into the leather of his belt. Her response made him uneasy, his eyes scanning for any movement between the trees.

“It’s not my job to know,” Emma said firmly. “We get delivered finished assets and it’s my job to show them to the public. Charlie, can we get a cow in there, please?”

She was irritated, Killian could tell, but he had been given a job to assess the paddock, whether she liked it or not. Nolan trusted him, for whatever reason, and he knew it was eating her up inside that this was something he wanted him to address, not her. “How long has she been in here?”

Emma looked at him and gave a nonchalant shrug. “Since birth.”

“She’s never seen anything outside of this paddock?” Killian frowned, still scanning the enclosure where he saw absolutely nothing. There was a track between two electronic doors that had a huge footprint on it, but nothing else glaringly obvious to the existence of the dinosaur Emma described.

“It’s not exactly a dog. We can’t walk it,” she snapped.

“And you feed it by crane?” Killian asked, watching the slab of meat being lowered into the enclosure. He pointed to it briefly, before resting his hand back on his hip, the cogs turning in his mind.

“Look, If you have a problem with this assignment I can just tell Mr. Nolan you declined.” Emma mirrored his stance, hands on her hips and her expression fierce. Killian was not intimidated by her in the slightest, simply shrugging off her bravado with a shake of his head.

“No problem,” he told her. “Just, animals raised in isolation aren’t always the most functional.” His tone was almost a warning, his brow knitting together as his anxiety over not being able to see the creature manifested tenfold. There was half a cow in the enclosure. Something should have been interested in that by now.

“Your raptors were born in captivity,” Emma countered but Killian interrupted her before she had the chance to finish her full sentence.

“And they learned social skills from siblings. As a family unit. And I imprint on them when they are born, there’s trust,” he said defensively. He moved towards her, tearing his gaze away to make his point with another point at the crane above them. “The only positive relationship this dinosaur has is with that crane because she knows it means food.”

“So, we get her a friend,” Emma suggested and Killian shook his head before she had even finished her words.

“Probably not a good idea, love.” He was worried. Any creature raised in isolation would surely have some sort of cognitive issues, but it seemed the secret ingredient in the new dinosaur lent itself to more questions than answers. “Where is this thing anyway?” 

“It was just here. I was here less than two hours ago.” Emma stalked past him to the podium mounted display and tapped away at the screen. She pressed her finger to the screen quickly, the dull tapping sound filling the room as she initiated a thermal scan of the enclosure, all six sections flashing up as void of any heat signatures. “That’s impossible,” Emma sighed to herself, rescanning the paddock once more, the same six sections flashing red and an alert sounding, but this time more prominently on the screens behind Charlie.

“Oh, shit,” he said slowly, matching the ashen color of Emma’s face as their worst fears became reality.

“Have there always been claw marks there?” Killian called out across the room, turning to look at her slowly whilst deliberately pointing out of the side window. Emma paled, her heart pounding in her chest as she made her way to where he stood and saw the huge gauges in the concrete that insinuated the dinosaur had climbed the walls and escaped.

Surely someone would have seen her? Surely one of the construction crew would have noticed such a huge dinosaur climbing over the wall they were building. Unless they didn’t.

“Oh, shit,” Emma breathed on a hushed whisper, the hair on her arms prickling to life and making her skin tingle. She has an implant in her back. I can track her from the control room.”

Emma rushed back to the car, and called ahead to the control room, asking Ruby to get her a location of the Indominus Rex as she threw the car into drive and sped away from the compound. This was impossible. Never, in her entire time as Head of Ops, had Emma had an asset out of containment. There had to be a glitch in the system. The dinosaur had to be there, it just had to.

“I don’t get it,” Charlie said to Killian, standing next to him in the paddock. They had both made their way down to the enclosure to inspect the marks, Killian’s fingers lost in the deep grooves the Indominus had made with her claws. “That wall is forty feet high. You really think she could have climbed out?!”

“Depends,” Killian said sadly.

“Depends on what?” Charlie asked dumbly.

Something didn’t feel right to him. Killian was always one for gut feelings, and he trusted them implicitly. They had never let him down before, always helping him out of a scrape or two, but he couldn’t pin down the cause of the dread in the pit of his stomach. Something told him there was more to this dinosaur than he was being told, maybe more than Emma had been told. “On what kind of dinosaur they cooked up in that lab.”

“What the hell?” Ruby frowned, the phone pressed to her ear as she conversed with Emma. She was looking at her screen, the tracking device emitting a strong signal from inside of paddock 11.

“What?” Emma screeched, wishing her car went faster than it currently was. “Ruby, talk to me, what do you see?”

Ruby looked at Mary Margaret, confusion etched on both their faces as they watched the still dot on the screen radiating with a red, glowing line. “Uh...it’s in the cage.”

Emma blinked. “No, that’s impossible, I was just there.”

“Emma, I’m telling you, she is in the cage,” Ruby insisted, tapping a few buttons and switching to a live camera feed of the enclosure. What she saw stopped her heart dead. “Wait, why are there people in the paddock? Emma, there are people in there.”

_Killian._

Emma gasped, her heart skipping a beat. “Get them out of there,” Emma said in a shaky, hushed voice. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. “Now!” Emma screamed down the phone, her voice ringing out in the control room intercom.

“Paddock 11, this is control. You need to evacuate the area immediately, do you copy? Paddock 11, please confirm, do you copy?” Mary Margaret’s voice was desperate, her fingers clutching the headset as she spoke, her words quicker than she would have liked as she tried to radio Charlie.

Charlie looked down at his hip mounted radio with a screwed up expression, tapping the device with a growl. “Damn radio signal. Control, this is paddock 11, repeat, over?”

Killian heard a rustle of leaves behind them and spun on his heels with wide eyes that scanned the area quickly. He had heard that sound before, from stalking raptors, and knew it never ended well for the prey. There was a slight movement in the grass, but no wind and Killian shot a glance back to the wall in front of them, sudden realization dawning on him as Mary Margaret’s panicked voice came through much clearer than before.

“It’s in the cage with you!” She screamed. “Get out, now!”

“Go, run!” Killian shouted, pushing against Charlie and the maintenance guy who had wandered in with them.

The three men ran, Charlie lagging behind because of an old leg injury that had left him with a slightly askew bone. It affected his gait and he knew he would never be able to outrun a dinosaur, so he turned and headed back towards the scratched up wall, hastily punching the numbers to open the gate into the keypad there.

The sound of broken trees echoed through the paddock as Killian and the other man skidded to a stop, the huge dinosaur that had managed to hide in plain sight, appearing before them. Killian took it in, the long legs and the curved claws so familiar and yet so distinguishable, he knew they could have only come from one species of dinosaur; Raptors. She roared softly, almost deafening both men with her high pitched growl, before giving chase, snatching up the engineer beside Killian in only two steps of her huge gait.

The gate was open, Charlie was long gone, but Killian knew it wouldn’t be for long. He fought the resistance of his thighs, pounding his boots into the dirt as he ran away from the Indominus, cursing his stupidity the entire time. He should have known the scientist in the lab would use Raptors, they were one of the smartest dinosaur species, and as he tried to ignore the sound of crunching bone behind him, Killian knew they had made a grave mistake.

“Close the gate!” David shouted firmly from behind Mary Margaret, watching the huge screen in front of him.

“We can’t lock him in there!” Ruby screeched, pointing to Killian on the monitor in front of her.

“Now, Ruby!” David commanded, barging her away from her workstation and tapping the huge, red touch button that would initiate the electronic cate closure. David looked up, instantly regretting his decision to end a man’s life, but the needs of many outweigh the few, and with over twenty-two thousand people at the park, David had to contain the animal anyway he could.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Killian chanted, his bones aching from how hard he was pushing his body to run for the now closing gate.

He made it through the gate just in time, but it hadn’t closed enough, the Indominus Rex trapping herself in the closing gap. She let out a high pitched roar, almost a cry as the automatic closing gate trap her between the concrete. The gate faltered, motors whirring and struggling to cope with the pressure Indominus was putting on them, and they completely gave out when, with another roar, she burst through the fence. Concrete crumbled away from the wall and Killian ran for the nearest cover he could find, sliding down onto the gravel and rolling under a construction crane.

The Indominus Rex roared again, sniffing the air around her, searching for her quarry. Charlie had made his way to a nearby truck and for some reason had decided to hide behind it rather than jump behind the steering wheel and escape the area. Killian froze, the gravel digging into his stomach as he watched the man kiss a crucifix he had been hiding under his shirt, tears falling silently down his face. Indominus roared again, flipping the truck with ease and leaving Charlie exposed to her attack, the man shooting Killian one last sorrowful glance before he was swallowed whole.

Killian rolled away from the scene to the middle of the crane, reaching behind himself and pulling out his hunting knife. His eyes scanned the underside of the vehicle, Emma’s words ringing in his head - _‘They are very sensitive to smell.’_ Killian finally located what he was looking for, the fuel lines and pulled them free of the undercarriage, slicing through them with his blade and spraying the fuel all over his face. He held his breath, flicking the leaking pipeline over his shirt and jeans too, covering as much of his body as he could with the foul, metallic smelling liquid.

Indominus’ deep, booming roar caught his attention once again and Killian shot a glance out the side of his hiding place, her huge reptilian legs shaking the ground as she sunk down on all fours and eased closer to the crane. She was too large to see underneath but Killian knew she was trying to find him, trying to sense his scent under the machine, so he laid as still as he could, staring up at the underside of the crane.

A deep, vibrating sound came from the dinosaur, her nostrils flaring and her jaws open slightly to taste the air. Her teeth were covered in Charlie’s blood, drips running between the plates of her scales and Killian tried to ignore the rancid smell of her breath. He was like stone, too terrified to move from his spot, his eyes pinching closed as she moved her head towards the underside of the crane and attempted to make sense of what she could smell.

Killian turned his head away, his entire body beginning to quiver. Droplets of fuel covered his face and stung his eyes but he tried to ignore it. When Indominus let out a rumbling growl he jumped, trying not to make a sound against the gravel where he lay. Her warning growl got no response and with a frustrated roar, she moved on, her huge weight leaving ginormous footprints in the ground as she walked away. Killian lifted his head, the muscles in his neck straining as he watched the huge reptilian creature move off into the dense forest, a rattlesnake style shaking sound coming from deep in her throat as she did.

Killian let out an audible sigh, his head falling back onto the gravel, his heart pounding in his chest. “God damn it, Emma,” he growled to himself, half out of anger and half out of worry.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma had slammed her foot down on her accelerator so hard she thought her high heel was going to pierce the bottom of her footwell. She had to get back to the control room, the engine of her SVU screaming as it sped down the employees only dirk track. She had to asses the damage of the escaped asset. _Dinosaur_. Killian was right. She had to be realistic; a dinosaur had escaped and two men had lost their lives. She would never forget the sound of crunching bone and their blood curdling screams that had echoed down the shared communication line.

The elevator ride up to the control room was painstakingly slow, and she felt her armpits begin to perspire under her chiffon blouse. She was in charge of this park, and she would be required to know what was going on. She knew people would have questions and her gut twisted when she heard the chime of the elevator, signaling it’s arrival to the control room floor. The doors slid open with a swishing sound and every pair of eyes in the silent room turned towards her, faces pale and some streamed with tears.

“Everyone remain calm,” she said slowly, her own words shaking as they left her mouth. The huge screen overhead showed the Indominus was on the move, heading south across the park and Emma heaved a huge breath to steady her nerves, moving across the carpeted floor to Ruby’s workstation.

“It’s moving really fast,” Ruby said in a quivering voice, eyes on the blink red dot on her screen, a mirror image of the one overhead.

“The tracking implant will shock it if it gets too close to a perimeter fence,” Emma said firmly, not sure if even she was believing her own words. She ground her teeth a little, hoping the invisible fences would be enough.

“Should I put out a park-wide alert?” Mary Margaret's asked softly, looking to her boss for guidance. She moved to press the intercom button on her headset, ready to send out the alert but David stopped her quickly.

“Hang up that phone,” he snapped, pointing to her accusingly. Mary Margaret shot Emma a glance but slowly took her finger from the headset. “Please,” David added, his tone calmer. “Let Asset Containment capture it quietly,” he told the three women in front of him in a hushed voice. “The very existence of this park depends on our ability to handle situations like this. This was an eventuality, okay?” 

“You should put that in the brochure,” Ruby quipped, tapping her screen with a slightly elevated anger. Her fingers hit the screen harder than necessary. “ _‘Eventually, one of these things will eat somebody’_ ,” she spat sarcastically.

David went quiet, looking to Emma to handle her staff. Emma placed a comforting hand on Ruby’s shoulder but the redhead did not turn and look at her. “The paddock is four miles from the nearest attraction. ACU can capture it before anyone else gets-”

“Eaten?” Ruby interrupted. The room fell silent.

“Tell ACU this is a non-lethal operation,” Emma instructed, pointing to Mary Margaret’s workstation. The tiny brunette slid her wheeled chair further under her desk, tapping away at her touchscreen workstation. “This is a capture mission, not a kill on sight. Make sure they understand.”

\--

“How fast can they run?” Walsh said casually, hands on his hips as he approached Liam. He had witnessed the tracking ability of the raptors first hand and was more than impressed, eager to get more information and potentially get them out into the combat field. Liam looked up at him with suspicion and he paused, stilling his hands against the dry, bumpy ridges of Blue’s skin.

“Forty miles per hour,” Liam said quickly. “Fifty when they are really hungry.” Liam dropped his gaze back to Blue who began to snort through her metal muzzle as Walsh got closer. 

Walsh whistled, impressed with the figures he was hearing. The practical applications to weaponizing raptors were looking more and more lucrative. “You ever open ‘em up? See what they can really do?” He grinned, a flash of white teeth making Liam’s skin crawl.

“No,” he said firmly, his voice low resuming the gentle rhythm of his hands against Blue’s head and lower jaw. Blue’s eyes darting towards Walsh, her slit like pupil narrowing and her lips curling back to reveal her teeth. “I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” Liam warned him, feeling the muscles in Blue’s neck tense in his hands. Walsh took another step closer, staring her straight in the eye, and when she shook in her confines, he jumped back alarmed.

“Fuck!” He cried out, the skin on his neck flushing hot with panic. When he realised he was in no danger he laughed, clapping his hands together and giving the raptor a sneer. “Scared the shit out of me.”

“So, you wouldn’t take one home?” Liam teased, moving away from the alpha raptor and towards Delta. 

Walsh laughed again, hands on his hips as he followed the curly haired Brit across the yard. Delta began to growl, the rumble in her chest much deeper than Blue’s and Walsh eyed her flickering yellow eye nervously.

“You’re intent on aggravating all my raptors today, aren’t you?,” Liam sighed, stroking his fingertips over Delta’s neck. Walsh gave him another cocky smirk.

“Can I touch it?” He asked, ignoring the question and motioning to the raptor between them.

Liam shrugged with a twitch of a smile. “Go ahead.” Walsh reached out and Delta began to pant in her muzzle, the thick steel construct stopped her from moving. She was stressed but Liam knew Walsh would not get close enough. Just as he was about to touch the blunted bumps of her skin, Delta jumped, clawing at the other side of the huge metal wall that their heads poked through. Walsh pulled his hand back as if he had been burned, his heart thundering in his chest.

“Shush,” Liam soothed, reassuring Delta quickly. “There’s a good lass.” She trusted him and knew he would not let any harm come to her. He and Killian had raised them all since they had hatched and been with them every step of their lives, and soon Delta relaxed once more. Liam’s pager beeped against his hip, the small black box vibrating on its belt. Walsh gave him a puzzled look as he read the shorthand code, grunting in frustration before he turned and addressed the entire paddock staff. “Code 19!”

The men on the boardwalk over the raptor cage scattered, reaching for their radios to pass on the message.

“That’s the Indominus!” One of the men shouted, his face turning white.

“They’ve lost two guys already,” Liam said sadly, his head hanging.

“What’s a code 19?” Walsh asked dumbly.

“Asset out of containment.” Liam shook his head, Walsh’s shocked face surprising even him. “These people never learn.” Liam grit his teeth and pushed past Walsh, heading towards his truck.

“They’re going to learn all kinds of new things about their asset now,” Walsh chimed with glee.

\--

The elevator doors chimed once more but this time no one in the control room turned to see Killian step out of the metal box, his face stony and determined. The doors had barely parted when he barged through them, his fists clenching at his side as he approached Emma. The gnarled scars on his left hand itched, the old, poorly healed raptor bite forever a reminder of what happens when you take your eyes off the ball for a second.

The burly security guard tried to stop him, insisting of seeing some ID, but Killian breezed right past him, batting the guys hand out of the way. He caught Emma’s eye as she turned to check out the commotion, her expression guilty but also thankful that he was okay.

“What the hell happened out there?” He spat, advancing on her. “There are thermal cameras all over that paddock. She did not just disappear!” The security guard stopped his advances, a huge arm across Killian’s chest and a stern look in his eyes. 

Emma turned away, staring blankly at the moving red dot on the overhead monitor. She sighed, blinking slowly, before turning back to him with the best business voice she could muster. “There must have been a technical malfunction,” she offered, but Killian was not appeased.

“Bullshit, Swan! Were you not watching?” He desperately tried to reason. “She clawed at that wall as a distraction. She wanted you to think she had escaped.” Killian had begun to sweat, a mixture of the heat and adrenaline, and the security guard stepped aside when the overpowering smell of gasoline hit his nostrils.

“We are talking about an animal here,” Emma scoffed, lowering her voice in the hopes Killian would follow.

“A highly _intelligent_ animal,” he ground out slowly, his voice even and angry. He couldn’t believe that Emma, of all people, was still trying to justify what had just happened. Why couldn’t she see what he was seeing? 

“The ACU is four hundred meters to the tracking beacon,” Mary Margaret interrupted, gulping hard. All eyes turned to the screen overhead, eight heartbeat monitors and four live-action cameras relaying video feeds directly to the control room. Camera one showed the soldiers exiting their trucks, electric shock rods and a fireable net muzzle in their hands.

“You’re going after her with non-lethals?” Killian gasped in horror. He shot David a look too, but the owner simply looked away.

“We have twenty-six million dollars invested in that asset. We can’t just kill it,” David told him, pointing at the screen as if to emphasize his point.

“Three hundred meters to the beacon,” Mary Margaret announced, her panic stricken voice quaking a little.

“You need to call this mission off right now,” Killian pleaded, looking between David and Emma once more. Neither answered and he stepped forward, blocking Emma’s view of the screen above her.

“They are right on top of it,” Ruby announced, her own anticipation evident in her words.

“Swan, call it off. Right. Now!” Killian cried louder. Emma didn’t move, instead ignoring his pleas. “Please, Emma. Call this off.” Her name made her look up at him, sorrow in his eyes and out of the corner of her eye she watched his scarred hand fidgeting at his side. At her silence, he turned, his eyes flicking up to the live feed cameras in case he could see any sign of the animal.

“You are _not_ in control here,” Emma snapped, her eyes dry where she had forgotten to blink. She was thankful he had turned at the point he did, because any more of his intense staring may have caused her to falter in her resolve.

Killian turned back to Emma, his blue eyes a faded shade of grey. “Damn it, Emma, those men are all going to die.” Killian fell silent, as did the rest of the control room, all eyes on the camera feed of the leader of the ACU when a beeping caught their attention.

The camera jolted around, shaking from side to side as he approached his target, the beeping of the tracking implant getting louder and louder. Killian held his breath and Emma’s turned shallow, the screen a direct feed of what the man could see. He suddenly lowered his weapon and what appeared to be a chunk of scaled skin came into view, a red blinking light of the chip clearly visible at the end of a long, pill shaped device.

“What is that?” David asked with a frown.

“That’s her tracking implant,” Killian said, almost impressed. “She’s clawed it out.”

“How would she know where it was?” Emma asked, folding her arms over her chest.

“She remembered where they put it in,” Killian surmised, eyes wide and on the blinking red screen ahead of him.

The camera feed wobbled again, the ACU leader standing up and surveying the area with the sound of twigs snapping filled the control room. There was nothing on the camera but birds scattered overhead, fleeing the safety of the trees as branches seemed to begin to move unnaturally. Suddenly, they all heard a gasp, the leader’s camera feed showing the Indominus Rex as she appeared from out of nowhere.

“It can camouflage!” He screamed, stumbling over his feet as he tried to run back to his troops. He was too late and Indominus snatched him up in her huge, clawed hands, squeezing his body until he went limp in her grasp.

One brave soldier got closer, the flickering blue spark of his taser igniting as he jabbed Indominus in the leg, her roar sounding out through the trees. She swiped a razor sharp claw at him, slicing him almost in two and spun on her agile feet, her tail sending another troop into a huge nearby tree. She roared again, the electrical impulse bullets having no effect as she pivoted, grabbing another soldier and throwing him over her shoulder where he hit a tree, his spine breaking in half and his body falling into a limp pile at her feet.

The control room filled with the sounds of gunfire, the electrical pulses of non-lethal shots mixed with the panic shouting of the troops on the ground. A loud, single tone beep sounded out, the commander’s heart rate flatlining on the screen in front of them. Another came next, and then another, the cries of the men in the field becoming less frequent as they systematically tried to subdue the dinosaur, failing each time. Killian turned and gave Emma a look, one that was filled with sympathy and blame, before another anguished cry grabbed his attention back to the screen.

One lucky shot managed to net the Rex’s muzzle and she began shaking her head furiously from side to side. Eager to contain their asset, the men moved in, but it was futile. Indominus clawed at the net covering her snout, rolling it off with ease, dropping to all fours and sending out an ear piercing roar of fury towards the men attacking her. One, who happened to be too close, got snapped up in her jaws, his body punctured and torn apart by her massive teeth as she chewed on his torso, showering his comrades in his blood.

Mary Margaret covered her mouth and looked away, a gasp falling from her lips and the rest of the control room had no choice but to watch in horror as the other men and women of the ACU were picked off one by one. The eight heartbeats turned to red lines, signaling the team’s demise with an eerie chill. David pressed his hands together as if praying, his expression that of absolute remorse. What had they done?

“Evacuate the island,” Killian said desperately, his voice ragged. “This place is not safe anymore.”

Emma, paralyzed by what she had just witnessed, gulped hard and felt the sting of tears in her eyes. “We’d never re-open the park,” she stammered.

Killian felt his rage bubble to the surface. He had tried and failed to make Emma see sense with begging, warned her so many times that this might happen. He couldn’t believe her only response was about money, her only care in the world for the profits of the island. There were over twenty-two thousand visitors on the island right now, so didn’t she care if they all died?

“You _made_ a genetic hybrid and raised it in captivity.” He growled, pacing in front of her. “She is seeing this _all_ for the first time,” he bit out, pointing to the screen behind her. Emma followed his hand with her gaze, seeing the blood spattered camera on one of the men still sending a live feed. “She _does not_ even know what _she_ is. She _will_ kill everything that moves.”

“You think the animal is contemplating her own existence?” David frowned, kind of seeing Killian’s point. He liked Killian and respected his knowledge of the creatures he cared for.

“I think she is trying to work out where she fits in the food chain, and I’m not sure you want her to figure that out.” Killian stared at the man in front of him, David’s expression turning into that of sheer terror. “I know ACU can use live ammunition in an emergency situation and I know you have an M134 in your armory, so put it on a helicopter and kill this thing!”

“We have families here,” Emma snapped at him. She decided enough was enough. He was not in charge, regardless of David’s opinion of him. “I’m not going to turn this place into a war zone.”

“You already have,” Killian said calmly, pity in his words.

“Mr. Jones, if you are not going to help, then there is no reason for you to be in here.” Killian ground his teeth, the muscles in his jaw twitching under his stubbled skin as Emma motioned for security to remove him.

The security guard made a move towards him but Killian halted him with a hand, relenting to her demands. He stormed past her, giving her a final glare before slowing near to David and leaning closer to the man who had inadvertently authorised the creation of such a beast. 

“I would have a word with the people in your lab,” Killian whispered gruffly. “Find out what went into that thing. It’s no dinosaur.” Killian made his way to the elevator, turning in the dimly lit metal box and slamming his fingertip into the desired button.

\--

Merlin watched as the group of disgruntled tourists outside of his lab shuffled through the narrow corridor like a line of ants. He had heard the announcement, in every language, and knew something was going on. He also knew that the appearance of the owner of the park, David Nolan, was no coincidence. He offered the man a tight lipped smile that was not returned through the glass window to the lab, instead heading towards the door and punching in the keycode that would allow Nolan entry.

“We have a problem,” David said hastily, his voice hushed as the door closed slower than he would have liked behind him. “We have an asset out of containment.”

“Oh?” Merlin’s interest was piqued, an eyebrow rising above his browline. “Which one?”

“Paddock 11,” David growled, ignoring the bustle of lab techs behind him.

Merlin’s face lit up, his lips twitching into a sly smile. David watched the man with a narrowed gaze and could have sworn he found glee in the situation they were all facing. The Indominus was clearly not to be messed with and more people would die if David didn’t find out how to stop it.

“I suppose you want to know how I designed her?” Merlin offered casually and David gave him a deadpan stare. Merlin moved around his desk, seating himself in the plush, white leather swivel chair there and casually pouring two cups of camomile tea. He had been half way through making a pot when David arrived. “You know I am not at liberty to reveal the asset’s genetic makeup,” he said, offering the man one of the glass teacups, which David declined. “Modified animals are known to be unpredictable.”

David inhaled deeply, his fingers interlaced in front of him. “It’s killed people, Jon,” he said sadly.

Merlin looked away from him, fixing his eyes on the steam slowly swirling up from his cup of tea. “That’s unfortunate,” he said softly.

“Tell me,” David prompted, shifting his weight. “What possible purpose could we have for a dinosaur that can camouflage?”

“Cuttlefish genes were added to help her with an accelerated growth rate,” Merlin began, trying to appease his boss. “They have chromatophores that allow the skin to change colour.”

David relaxed a little, satisfied with the man’s answer, but he needed to know more. He took a seat opposite Merlin, resting his arm on the table, the elbow creases in his blue suit falling away because of the thread count of the expensive jacket. “It hid from our thermal technology,” David added, watching Merlin take a sip of his tea. “How do you explain that?”

Merlin nearly choked on his beverage in elation, gulping down the boiling liquid before it had time to burn his tongue. “Really?” He asked excitedly.

“How is that possible?” David prompted again but was met with an eerie silence. It was like the man before him was trying to fabricate some sort of story, the cogs turning in his mind. David was about to ask again, when Merlin rose to his feet and made his way around the desk, resting his hands to a lab station across from his desk.

“Tree frogs can modulate their infrared output. We used strands of their DNA to help her adapt to a tropical climate, but, I never imagined-,” His voice trailed off, a smirk that David was unable to see plastered across his face. He felt powerful, superior to all other men, having created such a formidable beast.

“Who authorised you to do this?” David sighed, rubbing his temples. 

Merlin spun to face him, his smile lost and his serious expression back once more. “You did,” he said darkly, pointing a menacing finger towards David. “ _Bigger. Scarier._ ” Merlin paused, chuckling to himself. “I believe the word you used in your memo was, _cooler._ ” David gave him a shocked expression, remembering the memo he had indeed sent out, but not thinking anyone would be foolish enough to heed his words. “You cannot have exaggerated predator features without the corresponding character traits!”

“Exaggerated?” David shrieked, letting out the longest breath. “What you are doing here, Jon,” David shook his head with disdain. “When the board finds out what you have done, they will shut this place down, seize all of your work and you will lose everything you have built!” David roared, his anger getting the better of him as he leaped to his feet. He took a calming breath, straightening his jacket and rebuttoning it at the front. “Hammond won’t be there the protect you this time, Jon, and neither will I.”

“All of this exists because of me!” Merlin spat, his voice quaking with rage. “If I don’t create these dinosaurs, somebody else will.”

“Not anymore,” David said firmly, looking around the lab.

“What does that mean?” Merlin frowned.

“You are to cease all research and activities here immediately,” David told him sternly, wording his sentence like a formal notice.

Merlin laughed. “You are acting like we are some sort of mad scientists, but we are just doing what we have always done! Nothing in Jurassic World is natural,” he chuckled. “We have always filled gaps in the genome with the DNA of other animals, and, if their genetic code was pure, many would look quite different.” Merlin’s voice was desperate, an octave higher than normal and David eyed him suspiciously as he took a step towards him. “But you didn’t ask for reality, David, you asked for more teeth,” he growled, directing his last ounce of anger at the man in front of him.

“I never asked for a man-eating monster!” David barked, puffing out his chest.

“Oh, monster is such a relative term,” Merlin smiled evilly, his voice suddenly much calmer than before. It made the hairs on David’s neck tingle. “To a canary, a cat is a monster.” He paused, staring directly into David’s eyes. “We are just used to being the cat.”

\--

Inside the gyrosphere was surprising cool for a big glass dome that rolled around the plains on _Jurassic World_ whilst the blazing hot Costa Rican sun beat down on it. It was probably air conditioned Henry figured, because it had everything else. It was a marvel of technology -or so the celebrity endorsed infomercial currently playing on the screen in front of them was saying. It was designed to never roll over, always keeping them upright and with a perfect three hundred and sixty degree view of the world around them.

Except, so far, Henry hadn’t seen a single dinosaur.

He sighed, staring at his reflection more than out of the window pane beside him as Graham steered the ball through the invisible sensors that guided their way. On their way to the Gyrospheres, Graham had shown him the Mosasaurus exhibit, because it was feeding time, and she was one of the coolest dinosaurs on the island. At over fifty five feet long, and weighing over twenty eight tons, when she had emerged from the water to grab the Great White that dangled over her oceanic pool, Henry had squealed in delight. But now, his excitement had waned, and he was sullen once more.

“Cheer up,” Graham said with a smile, nudging Henry with his elbow. “We’ll see something soon.”

“Where are they?” Henry grumbled, pushing his bottom lip out dramatically.

They heard a loud rumble, the vibrations through the ground traveling right through the glass of the gyrosphere. Henry gasped, eyes wide and fixed ahead as Graham slowed the sphere to almost a complete stop, in awe of the sight before him. An array of dinosaurs came into view as they crested the hill, the valley crammed full of dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes.

“Herbivores!” Henry cried, straining against his seatbelt to get a better look. He tore his eyes away for a second to scramble for his backpack, reaching inside to quickly find his camera.

“See, I told you,” Graham grinned beside him, steering clear of a Triceratops who was rising top her feet after what seemed like a long, relaxing nap. She grunted, shaking her head as she did, and then headed off to a nearby tree where she began nibbling at the leaves.

They rolled on further down the hill, making sure to avoid the footsteps of an Apatosaurus as she walked alongside them. Henry was almost pressed up against the window so hard he couldn’t even click the camera, but he somehow managed to snap shot after shot of the side of the beast. Graham laughed, wondering how many of his photos would actually come out once he got home, but not wanting to discourage his enthusiasm, he let him click away.

Graham watched as Henry gasped even harder, the sight of a fully grown Stegosaurus so close to them making the boy practically vibrate with anticipation. The creature simply looked at them, her huge, golden iris blinking slowly like she had seen a Gyrosphere every day of her life. She probably had in reality, and she was unphased when Henry’s camera was pointed directly at her, her plates wobbling from side to side as she waddled away.

A warning message came over the radio comms of their gyrosphere, telling them the ride was now closed and they were to return to the park. Henry frowned and looked at Graham with a sigh, his little cherub cheeks pinking under his disappointment.

“Hey,” Graham soothed. “We don’t have to go in just yet.” He gave Henry a small smile and the boy hung his head, not convinced by the adult's words.

“But they said it was closed,” Henry grumbled, stuffing his camera back into his pack and tugging the zipper closed.

“Not to us,” Graham said with a sly grin. “Your mom is in charge, right? I think that means we can stay out for a bit longer.”

“You think?” Henry asked excitedly, his eyes flaring back up with light and his cheeks squishing his eyes closed a little as he grinned.

“Yeah,” Graham shrugged playfully. “And we can go anywhere. Watch this.” Graham grabbed the control stick and threw it forward, both of them thrown back in their seats as the ball whizzed forward. The sound of the mechanism spooked some dinosaurs nearby, who erupted in full gallops to avoid the rotating ball as it zipped down the valley, their roars lost behind the sound of Henry’s excited whoop.

Graham was so preoccupied with trying to be cooler than Henry’s friend Killian that he almost didn’t feel his phone vibrating in his jeans pocket. When he did, he slowed the ball to a steady pace once more, fishing around for the cellular device and quickly swiping the screen to answer the call.

“Hey, Emma,” he almost sang, giving Henry a wink.

“Graham! Thank God!” Emma sighed in relief.

“Emma, I can’t hear you,” Graham frowned, struggling to make out her voice through the distorted sounds coming down his phone. “There must be some sort of interference with the gyrosphere.”

“Graham, I need you to-” Emma began but her words were cut short when the call ended with a double beep.

Emma pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at the screen. The call had ended and when she tried to reconnect the call, there was no signal from the other line. She raced to Ruby’s workstation and leaned over her shoulder, searching the screen for the telltale blip of red lights that signaled errors.

“Are there any gyrospheres still out?” She barked impatiently.

“No,” Ruby shook her head, tapping a few buttons to rescan the park. “Oh wait!” She called, just as Emma was about to move away. “There is still one out in the field.”

“Get a team out to them immediately,” Emma snapped at Mary Margaret, clicking her fingers at the brunette. Mary Margaret knew better than to complain, Emma’s face a mixture of panic and desperation she had rarely seen.

“Security, we need a search a rescue in the valley,” Mary Margaret voiced over the intercom, awaiting the muffled sound of the rangers at the other end. A man’s voice came back almost instantly, telling her that it would have to wait because they were dealing with another crisis that was far more important than a lost gyrosphere.

Emma grabbed the headset, holding it to her head, her teeth squeaking in her ears because of how tightly she was grinding her jaw. “No! Listen to me. There are two guests missing, including my son, so you need to make this your top priority!” Emma screeched. Ruby and Mary Margaret both looked at her, shocked at her words. Both of them knew Henry, loved him in fact, and they now understood Emma’s urgency. 

“Just do it, man,” Ruby whispered to herself, knowing the guy on the other end of the phone wouldn’t have a job the next day if he didn’t comply. He simply responded with a casual comment about how there were a lot of guests missing, including a lot of people’s sons, and he would get to it in due time.

“Fine!” Emma shouted, tossing the headset back into the monitor and making Mary Margaret jump. “I’ll do it myself!” Emma stood up straight, brushing her hair out of her eyes and exhaling hard. She didn’t know what to do, where to start or how to even get to Henry. The tracking light of the Indominus was edging even closer to the valley, and she would soon be right on top of her son, so Emma had to think fast.

“Think, maybe, he could help?” Ruby suggested, pointing to Killian’s figure on a security screen above them. He was diffusing a situation with some testy tourists, the image grainy but clearly Killian trying to calm down both parties with a wave of his hands.

Emma knew exactly where Killian was from the CCTV footage, so headed for the lobby to the information center immediately. Her heels clicked against the floor as she entered, trying to avoid the gaze of the tourist who eyed her suspiciously because of her attire. It was possible some of them recognised her, and were about to inundate her with questions, but Killian found her first and hooked a hand around her elbow, dragging her off to a shadowy corner of the lobby.

“Emma.” All he said was her name, his voice etched with concern, his entire body fighting the urge to kiss her. Their little spat in the control room had left him angry but on the verge of grabbing her and kissing her senseless. In a way, he was thankful for Emma’s patience with him had run out before he had a chance to. Emma untangled herself from his grasp, shaking them both back to reality, in which they were both angry with each other about a dinosaur that had escaped.

“Killian, I need your help! The gyrosphere is out in the field and Graham is not answering his cell phone, and security won’t go after them-,” Emma began frantically, her words tumbling from her mouth so fast he wasn’t sure what she was saying. She was waving her arms, hair bouncing around the sides of her face as she shook her head from side to side.

“Woah, slow down there lass,” he coaxed, holding up his hands as if halting a wild animal. He grabbed her face, clutching the soft skin of her cheeks in his hands and she stopped immediately, hazel eyes meeting blue as she felt a sudden calm wash over her. “One thing at a time. Start with the most important.”

“Henry is in the field and the Indominus Rex is heading in his direction!” Emma felt her eyes well up at her own words, the shock on Killian’s face paramount to his ability to form words. “We have to go find him,” she told him on a whimper, her tears finally falling from her eyelids and reducing her to a blubbering mess.

“Hey, hey,” Killian soothed, pulling her into his body and wrapping his arms around her securely, not even flinching when she locked her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shirt. She smelled like he remembered, obviously not changing her shower gel or deodorant, and he inhaled her scent greedily. “We’ll find him, I promise.” Killian pulled out of her embrace a little, lifting her head to look at him with a hooked finger under her chin. “Alright?” 

Emma nodded, letting him wipe away her tears with a swipe of his hand, the scars on the back of it rubbing against the smooth skin of her cheek. She noticed but didn’t say anything when he used his injured hand, something that had happened after they had been together. Emma wondered if he was embarrassed, most people would have been, but his tender caress showed more of his true character that Emma yearned to get to know.

“Save those tears for when we find him, alright? I only want to see happy tears.” Killian gave her a reassuring smile, brushing his thumb over the corner of her mouth until it twitched into a nervous smile and her sobs had faded away with a nod. “Okay, let’s go.”


	5. Chapter 5

The brief phone call from his boss and Henry’s mother hadn’t dissuaded Graham to prove he was much cooler than Killian ever could be. He had taken the Gyrosphere much further than he had intended, far across the valley, silencing the return warnings by muting the screen. They were gliding along the grassland, when all of a sudden, there was an almighty roar than made Graham slam on the brakes.

“What was that?” Henry asked quickly, scanning the flat grass for any sign of dinosaurs in distress.

“I’m not sure,” Graham frowned, craning his neck to look behind them. 

“It sounded close,” Henry said nervously, looking to Graham for reassurance once more.

“It’s nothing,” Graham assured him with a weak smile. He pointed up ahead, a group of four Ankylosaurus grazing beneath the shade of a giant tree not ten feet away. The huge, armoured dinosaurs paid them no attention, pulling at the long grass with their beak like mouths, small grunts on content exchanged between them as they grazed. “See, just some-”

“Ankylosaurus,” Henry finished for him, staring out nervously. He fidgeted his hands in his lap, squinting at the tree that seemed to shimmer under his gaze. Henry blinked a few times, clearing his vision, before realising what he was seeing.

“Yeah, right, just four dinosaurs getting lunch,” Graham told him. He wasn’t going to lie, he was a little nervous too. The sound was high pitched and sounded like something much, much bigger; nothing like the sound the Ankylosaurs were making.

“Five,” Henry corrected him, his voice a barely there whisper. “There are five dinosaurs.”

Graham squinted, counting again. The herd moved a little and he moved his head from side to side, trying to see if he had miscounted. “Aren’t you supposed to be smart?” He teased, pointing to each of the dinosaurs as he counted them again. “One, two, three, four. Four dinosaurs.”

“Five,” Henry said in a shaky voice. He lifted his arm slowly, the shimmer in the trees turning into a dinosaur, one neither of them had ever seen before. She was huge, at least fifty feet long and towered over them in the tiny, glass sphere. Her reptilian skin shifted into a more natural colour, an off grey mixed with green, and at the end of her arms were the longest claws Henry had ever seen. She rose up on her hind legs, a snuffling growl emitted from her throat as she opened her long, wide anchored jaws and roared the sound they had heard earlier. 

The Ankylosaurs began to flee, their heavily plated bodies and their bulbous, bone tail tip slowing them down as the unknown dinosaur attacked, her long jaws opening wide enough to fit around the body of the one of the other dinosaurs. She couldn’t clamp them closed because of the row of horn like spikes that run along the side of the dinosaur, and the Ankylosaurus swung its tail, missing the huge carnivore and smashing the front of the gyrosphere.

Henry screamed, the ball spinning faster than was comfortable, finally hitting one of the branches of the trees behind them and losing power with a whirring sound. Henry looked to Graham, his pack clutched in his hands as the gyrosphere slid sideways and suspended them upside down in the globe, finally coming to rest in a position that gave them full few of the fight before them.

The carnivore had only tried to bite the Ankylosaurus once before she realised it was futile, inside timing her attack just right and slicing into the animal's leg with her huge, scythe like claws. The herbivore went down, the ground shaking under her eight tonne weight, and the bigger dinosaur simply rolled it over like it was nothing. Effortlessly, ignoring the sorrowful wails and the short, stubby legs that flailed in the air, the carnivore stepped onto the belly of the Ankylosaurus to pin it down, took its head in her massive, teeth laden jaws and snapped its neck.

Henry turned away, shaking in fear, whilst Graham was paralyzed in his upside position, transfixed on the dinosaur in front of him. He had no idea what it was, or where it had come from, but he knew it was bad news.

“We’re safe in here, right?” Henry asked him, whispering the words so as not to attract the dinosaur less than twenty feet in front of them.

“Totally safe,” Graham lied unconvincingly with a quick nod as he tried in vain to rev the Gyrosphere. He hadn’t noticed his cell phone fall out of his pocket to the glass below, and when it started vibrating because of another incoming call from Emma, Graham reached out for the device as it buzzed across the glass. 

Neither of them had noticed the silence that had fallen over the plains at first, but soon Henry, shaking and quivering in his upside-down position, realised something was wrong. He looked up, the carnivore in front of them staring at him with dark, malicious intent, her huge head and marble like eye the only thing visible because she was so close.

“Graham,” Henry whispered quickly, eyes wide and body totally froze in fear.

“I’ve almost got it, Henry, hold on,” Graham grunted, his shoulder pinching against the seatbelt across his torso as he stretched even harder for the phone.

“No, Graham, look,” Henry gasped, pointing out towards the dinosaur. Graham’s head snapped up to meet the gaze of the unknown species of dinosaur in front of them. She was staring right at them, her interest now long since lost with the dead dinosaur previously in her grasp. She was just outside the Gyrosphere, only a layer of glass between them at her, and she let out a hissing growl and narrowed her eye, the fire coloured orb flicking between them. She blinked, her inner eyelid sliding over her eyeball with a wet sound, before she rose to her feet once more and stepped sideways around the Gyrosphere.

“What’s she doing?” Henry squeaked, craning his neck to see where she had gone. She cast a huge shadow over them, plunging the Gyrosphere into darkness.

Graham didn’t have time to answer before the huge dinosaur spun them around, her long, razor sharp claws scraping over the glass surface like nails on a chalkboard. She took a step back, pulling her muscular arms towards herself and rolling the glass orb until she could see her prize inside. Her middle claw, at least five foot long, pierced the bullet proof glass with ease in one swipe, her other claws cracking the area around it in a spiderweb pattern.

Indominus rolled them even further forward, peering down into the Gyrosphere like an inquisitive child. Henry pinched his eyes closed, unable to watch as she inspected them, her teeth stained yellow and chipped on some of their tips, still dripping with the blood of her recent kill. It wasn’t clear if she was hungry, or killing for fun, but like an inquisitive child, she had discovered something new and wanted it immediately.

Her massive jaws opened once more, widening to an unnatural angle that finally made them both scream. Henry pulled his legs up towards his body as if making himself smaller would somehow save him. Graham threw an arm out towards Henry beside him, his hand shaking as it grabbed hold of the boy in his charge, a last ditch effort to protect him. The Indominus closed her mouth around the Gyrosphere, the glass fogging up instantly and the rancid smell of her breath filtering in through the hole she has made with her claw. She couldn’t get a grip, her tongue rippling against the rounded surface until she pushed down hard and her jaws pierced the glass.

She was smart and knew she couldn't get them out through the top, so she clenched her massive jaws hard and lifted the Gyrosphere with ease. She slammed it down against the ground and the curved edge behind their seats smashed into a million tiny shards, littering the grass. Graham looked beside him and noticed the tree line whizz past his vision as the Indominus smashed them into the ground again, his heart pounding over the sound of Henry’s screaming.

“Henry, when I say run, I want you to run as fast as you can for the trees,” Graham shouted over Henry’s screeching, pointing out towards the line of tall, lush trees. His hand found Henry’s buckle, gripping his own just as hard. “You ready?” Henry gave him a nod, his body jolting forward when they were banged into the ground again.

Indominus picked them up again and Graham pressed both buckles at the same time, the latches giving with two identical clicks and both of their bodies sliding out of the blue, plastic seats. They hit the ground with a bump, Henry’s forehead hitting a flat stone and splitting open instantly. Blood trickled into his eyes and all he felt was Graham yanking him to his feet, the daylight blinding him and his heartbeat pounding in his ears as his legs carried him away from the carnage behind him.

“Run!” Graham shouted, but his words had alerted the Indominus, who paused, spying them with her beady eye and shook her head to free the glass ball stuck in her jaws. The Gyrosphere was destroyed, falling apart as she scratched it from her mouth, dropping to all fours and roared out her frustration with a screeching sound. “Go, Henry, run!” Graham encouraged again, making sure the lad was in front of him the whole time as they fled.

They ran into the trees, the cooler forest offering them no escape. Graham hadn’t realised but it was not a forest as he had initially thought, but simply a line of trees. Henry cried out, clutching his pack straps as he ran, the wind whipping at his face and making his sliced forehead sting. The grass suddenly became longer as they exited the trees, Henry lifting his little legs higher than comfortable to try and keep his speed. Huge, thundering footsteps echoed out behind them and Graham looked around to see the Indominus crashing through the tree line that had offered them no sanctuary, branches breaking under her force.

They couldn’t outrun the dinosaur, Graham knew that. She was simply too big, her stride helping her catch up to them in no time at all. His brain spun, trying to scan the environment for a way out, or even a way to hide Henry. He was the most important thing and it was his job to protect him, even if it meant the ultimate sacrifice.

“Woah!” Henry shouted and when Graham turned back around, he skidded to a stop at the top of a huge waterfall, the crystal clear water cascading over some darkened rocks and tumbling into a blue lagoon below. “What do we do now?!” He cried, grabbing Graham’s arm in a panic.

“We jump!” Graham shouted over the roar of the water, the ground shaking as the Indominus approached.

“I can’t!” Henry whined, his brow caked in blood as he shook his head, his lip trembling with a mixture of adrenaline and fear.

“You can,” Graham told him firmly, grabbing his shoulders, shaking him still and looking him straight in the eye. “You are the bravest boy I know, Henry, okay? You can do this.” Henry gave a weak nod, psyching himself up for the fall, his body stiffening in Graham’s hands. “On my count,” Graham said with a nod. “One, two, three!”

They had run out of time, Graham knew that. His encouraging meant only one of them was making it off this cliff face alive so, with a sob, Graham heaved a grunt, picking up Henry like he was weightless and throwing him out over the cliff face as far as he could. He watched, panic flushing over him as Henry’s scream was replaced with the sound of splashing, the boy hitting the water below. Graham felt time stand still, the froth and bubbles at the bottom of the fall hiding Henry’s shadow, and it felt like an eternity before he saw Henry’s pack, filled with air, pull him to the surface before his world went black.

The Indominus grabbed him in her jaws, crushing his body like it was nothing, puncturing holes in his torso and neck. Graham went limp, his life extinguishing as soon as she had grabbed him, his neck snapped by her enormous, blunted teeth and the immense pressure of her bite. She chomped down on the human in her mouth like a dog with a toy, tasting the fresh blood on her huge, flat tongue that trickled down her throat like syrup as she grabbed Graham’s leg and pulled it from his body. Like a bird of prey, she gulped him down, tossing his leg aside with a satisfied growl. She peered over the cliff, claws chipping off bits of rocks as she clenched them into the edge and let out a mighty roar.

Henry gargled, coughing out a mouth full of the water, his face streaked with a trickle of pink that he hastily wiped from his eyes. He has slipped off his pack and was holding it like a buoyancy aid, arms resting over it as he looked around for Graham and kicked his legs in the warm, tropical water. He could swim, thankfully Killian had taught him, but when he didn’t see his carer surface beside him, he began to fret.

The roar of the Indominus caught his attention and Henry looked up to see her scowling down at him over the cliff, fresh, bright red blood dripping from her jaws and mixing in with the flow of water. Another growl sounded out, her throat vibrating the noise that hurt his ears, before she stalked off, her steps fading into silence. Graham was gone, he realised that now, and Henry twisted his body in the water and began pulling himself towards the shore.

When he reached it he was near exhausted, the effort required by his tiny legs to propel himself away from a waterfall that was trying desperately to suck him making his legs burn. The shoreline was basically dirt, but Henry grabbed at some waterside grass and pulled himself into the slick muddiness, rolling over onto his back and staring up at the sky. He grabbed his pack to his chest, patting it and thanking whoever was listening, fighting the urge to cry about his fallen friend.

“Thanks, lucky pack,” he sobbed, his breath hitching and his eyelids squeezing a tear out as he blinked. “Thanks, Graham.”

\--

Emma had calmed somewhat by the time Killian had steered her towards an official park use only Hummer. It was ginormous, but they would probably need it to go off-road in search of Henry, the chunky tires already covered with dried on mud from its last outing. Emma stared absently out of the window, watching the trees whip past the car as they headed out to the last GPS location that pinged from Graham’s phone. All employees had GPA enabled cell phones, allowing the control room to find them in the event of an accident.

Or an emergency. Or worse.

Ruby had told them that Graham hadn’t moved from his location in over thirty minutes, and Emma had begun to worry. It would mean one of only two things, both of which set her heart into a panic over Henry. If Graham was alive, he would be unreachable because he had simply lost his phone, but if he was dead? Emma didn’t want to think about what that meant for her son, and stifled a sob behind her hand as she clutched it over her mouth casually.

“Henry’s alright,” Killian said softly, his eyes glued to the road ahead of them. The dirt road was littered with debris from the trees above, clearly unused that often, but it was the quickest way to the GPA location they were heading to.

“How can you know that?” Emma snapped, although she didn’t mean to. She studied Killian’s profile, disguising her fear behind a voice that had been roughened by the lump in her throat.

“I know Henry,” Killian said with a small smile, finally looking across the cab to her. “He is a clever boy,” Killian said proudly.

“But that’s just it,” Emma growled. “He is a boy. Killian, he doesn’t know what’s happening. He might be scared, or hurt, or worse!” Emma swallowed another sob, her entire body fighting with her brain for the right to cry, and she turned her face away from his so he couldn’t see her.

Killian understood her anger completely because he was just as petrified for her son, the boy he had come to care for as more than just a friend. He loved Henry, but he knew he would never have the maternal dread that Emma was currently experiencing. “Love-” he began, but she cut him off sharply.

“Don’t,” she whined, her voice almost nothing but a squeak as she buried her face in the material of her chair so he couldn’t see her tears.

He let her be, fighting the urge to reach out and place a comforting hand on her thigh, beside her leg or lace his fingers in hers as he watched the back of her head and saw her shoulders bounce a little with her cries. He gripped the steering wheel like it was the only thing left to do, letting his eyes close for longer than it was safe to do so before a chirp from the sat nav unit told him to go off road through a gap in the trees.

The suspension of the Hummer kept them mostly stable as it crawled it’s way over the grassy plains ahead of them. It was the only sound they could hear, the rumble of the V8 engine, which was unusual considering their field was usually packed full of herbivores. Maybe they had all headed down to the river to drink? It was baking hot after all. Killian’s heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach when the Hummer crested a hill and Emma gasped at the horrific sight before them.

The long tail of an Apatosaurus lay motionless in front of them and Killian let out a sad sigh at the sight. She had been attacked, unable to flee her predator because of her cumbersome body and inability to run. Long, bleeding claw lines marked her skin, her flesh torn open across her hip, shoulder, and belly, flies already making themselves at home in her wounds.

And then she took a deep breath and Killian’s heart shattered in his chest.

“Stay here,” he said sadly, grabbing his short barrelled gun and pushing the Hummer door open with a grunt. He couldn’t watch her suffer any longer than he had to, looping the gun over his shoulder as he cautiously paced the length of her body. His eyes scanned the horizon, looking for any signs of the dinosaur that had inflicted such wounds, but the plains were deserted, the smell of her already rotting flesh a sure indication of the time that had passed.

The Apatosaurus took another deep breath, her lungs rattling as she did, surely filling with fluid. She was still, unable to move anything but her eyes as Killian approached her head and knelt down beside her. Emma watched from the cab, wiping her face before fresh, new tears for the beast before her could well in her eyes. She couldn’t stay behind, instead pushing her own door open despite Killian’s warning and stepping out of the vehicle.

Her heels sunk into the ground as she walked towards him, the length of the dying dinosaur between them taking some time to walk. Emma balled her hands at her sides, nerves making her palms sweat. She had never been this close to a dinosaur before, in all the time she had been at the park, and for a second she felt guilty about all the things she had ever thought about them. They were not stupid, they were not just animals, and as the Apatosaurus took another long, gargling breath when Emma passed by her chest, she couldn’t stop the tears of sympathy rolling down her cheeks.

“I know, I know,” Killian whispered soothingly to the dinosaur, his lips pressed so close to the side of her head that Emma nearly didn’t hear him. She groaned, the sound a little higher pitched than before and her eyes rolled open to stare at Emma, the whites of her eyes visible like she was scared to the human in front of her. “Shhhh, now lass,” Killian whispered again, his fingertips stroking over the bump on her head.

Emma knelt down, ignoring the dampness of the blood covered grass as it clung to her skirt. She swallowed hard, desperately trying to ignore the sting in her throat as she watched the Apatosaurus blink again and take a much shorter breath.

“She’s drowning,” Killian said sorrowfully, stroking the side of the dinosaur’s head. “It’s alright, girl,” he soothed again, lowering his voice once more as he addressed the herbivore. “It’s alright.”

Emma reached out a shaking hand and flattened it to the dinosaurs cheek. The ridges of her skin were unexpectedly warm, heated by the blazing hot sun from where she had laid down for so long. Emma’s fingers splayed out over the reptilian flesh and her fingertips brushed against Killian’s, but neither of them moved their hands away. He looked up at her, noticing the water in her eyes and covered her hand with his as the dinosaur took her last, fleeting breath.

A single tear sprang from Emma’s eyelids and fell, splashing silently against the skin on the back of Killian’s hand. He sighed, sitting back on his heels and withdrawing his hand from Emma’s, shaking his head as his compassion faded and his anger resurfaced. He didn’t need to say anything because he had a feeling Emma already knew what he would say, and he didn’t need to add to her anxiety. A bird flying from the ground caught his attention suddenly and he looked over to his left, off down the hillside, and took a sharp breath, his brow furrowing.

He pushed himself to his feet, ignored by the still stunned Emma, and slipped his weapon off his shoulder into a more ready position. He lowered it again pretty quickly when he assessed the situation to be more one of sadness that danger. The entire plain was littered with dead bodies, every herbivore cut down, savagely mutilated and spread out across the grassland. Crows and other omnivorous birds picked at the bodies, their squabbling caws the only sound they could hear over the swish of the grass in the wind.

“It didn’t eat them,” Killian said with a frown, his jaw falling open a little in shock. Emma joined him, covering her face with her hands and gasping at the horrific sight before her. “It’s killing them for fun,” Killian surmised.

“Henry,” Emma sighed her son’s name the only word she could say as a wave of panic washed over her again.

“Come on,” Killian coaxed, wrapping an arm around her and turning her away from the carnage. “Let’s go.”

They were back in the Hummer before Emma realised, her body still numb and in shock from what she had seen. She stared down at her hands in her lap, the feel of the Apatosaurus as it took its last breath still etched into her memory and fingertips. “What have we done?” she breathed, not realising it was out loud.

“Not you, love,” Killian defended her quickly, looking over to her and finally reaching out to place his hand in hers. It snapped her from her daze and she quickly slipped her hand free from his when she felt the blush creep up over her cheeks. He retracted his hand and cleared his throat awkwardly. “This isn’t your fault.”

“That dinosaur-” She murmured.

“Will be stopped, Emma, I promise you.” Emma looked over to him at his words, her puffy eyes not quite showing the faith in him as he had expected. He couldn’t blame her though, because the Indominus had already wiped out an entire containment team and half of the population of Apatosaurus in the park. “I promise,” he reiterated more firmly. 

Emma’s huge intake of air and paling expression shook him alert and he followed her gaze to the scene in front of her. Gyrosphere number seven, the one that had been missing since Henry and Graham had gone AWOL, was a crumpled mess of broken glass and twisted metal, a spark flaring from the broken electronics intermittently. They were both out of the Hummer before it had even settled into position on the grass beneath the tires, Killian scanning the area with his finger set tightly on the trigger of his shotgun.

The celebrity endorsed safety video sounded out, the voice broken and computerized between buzzes, clearly damaged. Killian approached, settling the weapon back over his shoulder when he was content it was safe and spied a huge, coffee coloured tooth poking out from the wrecked frame. Emma glanced around them for any sign of her son but quickly focused back on Killian as he reached behind his back and pulled his knife free from its sheath.

“What is it?” Emma asked quietly, her skin itching with anticipation. Killian jabbed his knife into the metal, wrenching it sideways and pulling the tooth free, inspecting the huge off white tip for any signs of blood. Emma felt her entire body sag with overwhelming panic, her breathing rapidly increasing as she stepped towards Killian and they began searching the area more thoroughly.

“No, no no!” Emma whimpered, her breath hitching in her throat as she rushed to what she had seen on the ground. There, covered in dirt and its screen smashed into a million pieces, was Graham’s phone. She reached out and picked it up, the flimsy feeling phone only held together by its rugged casing. Her hands shook when she realised the crack in the screen had likely been caused by the point of a tooth.

“Hey,” Killian called, pulling her attention away from the broken device. Emma spun around to face him, eyes wide with fear that he quickly abated with his next words. “They made it out,” he said confidently, nodding behind her to where he spotted two sets of footprints leading away from the turfed up ground.

“Thank God,” Emma sighed, pushing herself to her feet and rushing after the track marks, Killian hot on her heels.

The tracks lead across the grass and through some trees, a huge gaping hole clearly a sign of the Indominus having burst through the line of wood. Killian rushed passed Emma, clutching his gun at his side as he focused on finding the source of his interest; the roaring sound of water. Just beyond some tall reeds, he found it, the sheer drop over the waterfall making his heart stop. He knew Henry could swim, he had taught him, and he prayed to whatever Gods were listening that Henry had jumped.

Emma caught up to him quickly, noticing the huge tread marks of the dinosaur chasing the smaller human ones, her eyes focusing on the lack of footprints on either side of the cliff edge. “Oh my God, they jumped!” Emma screamed, elated. “They made it!”.

Killian surveyed the area, noting the splattering of blood around the water's edge and the distinct smell of rotting flesh in the air. He wrinkled his nose, straining his ears to hear for the tell tale buzzing of flies, before stepping a few feet sideways and peering into a reed bed. There, nestled just outside of the water and held aloft in some vibrant green foliage, was a human leg. It was too long to be Henry’s, too muscular to be anything but adult too, and Killian gulped hard in relief. “Not all of them,” he said sadly.

Emma rushed to his side, peering over his shoulder and immediately recoiling in disgust at the sight. She screamed, a high pitched sound ringing out through the valley and bouncing off the nearby treeline. Killian was at her side in an instant, silencing her with a hand clamped firmly over her mouth and a finger pressed to his lips.

“Shhhhh!” he scolded, shooting a glance around. The leg was fresh, starting to rot because of the heat, but the blood had not yet dried at the detached end, which meant the Indominus could still be close by. 

Emma shook herself free, pulling his hand from her mouth with a huff and trying to ignore the way his woody, masculine scent had invaded her senses. “I’m not one of your damn animals,” she growled, stepping back from him.

“Hey!” He scolded in a hushed whisper. “Henry is alive, but you and I will not be if you continue to scream like that.” Emma relaxed, knowing he was right and quickly shooting a nervous glance around them.

“So, what now? You can track his footprints? Pick up his scent, something like that, right?” Emma whispered hurriedly, flapping her hands around in between them. She was being optimistic, Killian knew that, but she was also being ridiculous.

Killian ground his jaw in frustration. “I was with the Navy, not the Navajo,” he growled on a whisper.

“So, what do we do? How do we find him?” Emma prodded quickly.

“You get back to control,” Killian suggested gruffly. “I’ll find him.”

Emma raised an eyebrow at him and waved her hand between them once more. “We’ll find him,” she said insistently. 

“You’ll last two minutes out here,” Killian told her, his word firm and tinged with worry. He was not mocking her, he was simply worried about losing her, but of course, he couldn’t tell her that. He let his eyes rake over her body and back up again, fixing his gaze on her once more. “Less in those ridiculous shoes,” he argued weakly, pointing at her heels.

Emma’s lips pulled into a tight level line on her face, her rage threatening to surface once more. She was sick of Killian treating her like the delicate flower he knew she wasn’t, pretending to protect her at every opportunity. She grabbed at the gold buckle of her designer belt that held her blouse closed, wrenching it open and not missing the way Killian’s eyes flicked down to take in her newly exposed skin. Emma tugged at her sleeves, rolling them up over her elbows to mirror his shirt and let out a long sigh, hands resting on her hips.

“What...what does that mean?” Killian asked her dumbly, fighting the urge to look down at her cleavage once more.

“It means let’s go,” Emma stated confidently. “I’m ready to find Henry.” Killian let his gaze roam over her again, trying to ignore the way his heart fluttered at the memory of how smooth her legs were as they rubbed against the back of his calves.

“Alright, but I’m in charge,” he challenged, knowing it would make her irritated to lose control. “You need to do everything I say, exactly as I say it.”

“Excuse me?” Emma narrowed her eyes at him, craning her neck sideways.

“Relax, love,” Killian teased, his lips twisting into a small smile. “It will be just like taking a stroll through the woods,” he told her, watching his hands arm his weapon with well practiced ease. “Sixty-five million years ago,” he said more seriously, knowing full well the dangers they would be in.

“He’s my son, Killian,” Emma said firmly, catching his stare and holding his eyes with her own, pleading with him almost to help her find the courage. He was enchanted every time she looked at him, and now was no exception. She would do anything for her son, he knew that.

“I know,” Killian nodded softly. “We’ll find him.” Killian stepped sideways, motioning for Emma to pass him which she did with a confident stride, arms swinging at her sides and head held high. 

Killian’s foot slipped into a water-filled puddle beside him, that on closer inspection turned out to be a giant footprint, perfectly pressed into the soft ground. It was huge, the Indominus’ claws clearly visible in the track mark and Killian licked his lips nervously. He had no idea what the lab had been thinking when they had created this thing, only knowing one thing for sure; He didn’t want to meet her again any time soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Henry shivered. The island was hot, but still humid and because his clothes were soaking wet from the lagoon, the cold had managed to seep in through his skin. He had wandered into the forest, the covering of the canopy keeping him cooler, but he didn’t want to risk sitting out in the sunshine any longer. Not with _that_ dinosaur so close. Henry had never seen it before, and he would never forget the sound of its roar, or the way it had looked at him, almost human-like, with intention and without remorse.

It scared him, pure and simple, and even though he liked to think that he was brave, as he walked through the leaf-littered forest alone, he was petrified. Henry stopped for a second, tugging at the material that clung to his small frame, pulling the wet cotton of his shirt away from his skin with an uncomfortable grimace. It was like a warm towel sticking to him, and he flapped the shirt to try and aid its drying with a tut.

A noise made him stop suddenly, the snapping of a stick off to his left, and Henry dropped into a crouch to make himself smaller. He froze on the spot, something Killian had told him to do if he was ever in trouble, because most predators hunted by sight. If he stayed perfectly still, he would have a greater chance of survival. Henry swallowed hard, a mixture of sweat and condensed humidity spread across his dirty brow, and he held his breath in an attempt to listen for the noise again.

Nothing happened. No snapping of twigs, no rumble of a dinosaur breathing. Nothing. Henry exhaled, hands clutching the strap of his lucky bag as he pushed himself to his feet slowly, eyes scanning the nearby forest. No sooner had he regained his upright position, the squawk of an island bird made him cry out in shock, his body involuntarily jumping to the side as the bird took off from its hiding place in the ferns next to him and flew over his head.

Henry let out another breath, watching the bird dodge branches as it navigated the woodland up ahead of him, drawing his attention to a garage like shack that it narrowly avoided. Henry narrowed his eyes, immediately wondering what the wooden structure was and why it was hidden so far out in the wilderness of the park. He took a tentative stepped towards it, the ground under his feet turning solid almost as soon as he starting moving, and he glanced down to see the huge palm-like leaves hiding stone steps.

They were old, Henry could tell by the way they were almost the same colour as the ground now. They edges crumbled, and each step was covered in bits of trunk that had fallen from the trees above. There was a deep litter of detritus covering them, leaves both new and old, brittle and crispy underfoot as he ascended the wide steps that lead to the shack. Henry watched his feet as he walked, careful not to slip, ignoring the way his feet were soaked from the lagoon and squelched in his canvas shoes.

The shack was a conundrum indeed, but Henry’s inquisitiveness knew no bounds and he blindly walked towards it as if it was drawing him closer. There was a huge door, covered in vines that had grown too far from their roots and dried and turned light brown in the heat. A monkey chattered nearby, but Henry did not look away, instead focused on reaching his goal and undeterred by the primate’s song above him. He was so focused on the door he almost lost his footing, falling forward and pulling at the hanging vines that gave way in his hand and revealed a stone carving underneath.

Above the door was the unmistakable outline of a T-Rex skeleton, the bones carved out of the stone above the doorway. It seemed familiar, like a symbol Henry had seen before but he frowned, unable to recall where he had seen the image because of its wear. On closer inspection, the doors were unlocked and with a steady heave, Henry leaned his shoulder against the slippery wooden surface and pushed as hard as he could. The door gave out, scraping along the debris on the floor as it swung open with a creak.

“Wow,” Henry breathed to himself, the musty smell of wet leaves and dirt filling his nostrils. He walked through the doorway, eyes scanning the room before he realised where he was.

The walls were covered with yet more vines, these ones a brighter green than outside and there was a small section of smaller, new growing trees trying to establish a life in a patch of mud near his feet. Henry stepped around them, dried leaves crunching under each step as he walked through the round shaped room, much bigger than the outside indicated, and looked up when a drop of cold water hit him on the back of the neck. The roof was glass or had been at one stage, now completely yellowed from age and tree sap, most of the panes broken by fallen branches and entangled in the growth of trees.

Henry let his eyes wander, neck craning to look at the rest of the room. It was somewhere he had only ever seen in books before, the bones littering the ground at his feet too old to be anything that recently died here. He picked one up, a long, heavy bone pointed at one end and shaped like a shoulder blade at the other. Henry inspected it, weighing it between his hands before a flash of yellow caught his eye on the floor and he scuffed his foot through the dirt to reveal a banner that had previous occupied the room.

It was torn, only half the word visible to him, but he recognised the old banner from the original _Jurassic Park_ visitor center. It had once hung proudly above a replica skeleton of a tyrannosaurus rex that stood pride of place in the lobby, enticing visitors before they were able to see the actual dinosaur. Henry was too young to remember the original park, having not even been born yet, but he had researched it so thoroughly he felt like he was actually in a book.

Henry picked up the banner, shaking off the debris before wrapping it around the end of the bone. He needed to take a look around, explore a little more, just to confirm he was exactly where he thought he was. If he was in the old visitor center, then he would know exactly where he was on the island, and would be able to work out a way to get back to his mom. Or to Killian. He was pretty sure he was closer to Killian, but he had to make sure. 

He leaned the banner wrapped bone against his leg, slid his pack off his shoulder, clutching the bag in one hand and unzipping it with the other, before reaching inside to retrieve a small box of matches he always carried with him. Always be prepared, Killian said. Henry held the box in his mouth, quickly zipping the bag back up and slipping it onto his shoulders once more. He picked up the bone, tucking it under one arm and attempted to strike one of the matches. 

“Come on,” Henry grumbled as the first one snapped with nothing but a tiny spark and a puff of smoke. He tossed the broken wooden stick to the ground in a huff, fishing his fingers into the box for another. The second attempt was more successful, the rough scratch and then ignition of the flame in his fingertips lighting the room. Henry quickly held it under the material of the banner, the material catching fire just as the matchstick had burned up to his fingertips.

The room was illuminated almost instantly, the orange glow of the flame burning at the end of the bone allowing him to see everything. The walls were mostly uncovered by the overgrown trees that had otherwise wound their way in through the skylight so Henry could see the walls as if they had just been painted. Murals covered the walls, paintings of dinosaurs to scale jumping out against the sandy coloured background, the images seeming to move under the flickering of the lit torch in his hands. 

There was a raptor there, as tall as he was, the depiction of the wall so life like he almost jumped out of his skin. Henry refocused on the painting, the eyes of the dinosaur yellow and staring straight at him from the wall, and he reached out to run his hands over the surface as if he was stroking it. It was not real, Henry knew that, but he could pretend. Killian was a raptor trainer, one of his idols, and Henry wanted nothing more than to experience the bumpy scales of a dinosaur under his touch the way Killian could.

The scuttling of a small animals drew his attention to a door towards the back of the room, the light bouncing off the walls as it narrowed into a doorway. Through the doorway was light, seeping through the tree canopy and then the skylight above him, illuminating the room in a dull, white light that meant he could see things more clearly. Henry let the bone torch drop to the floor, stamping it out before looking up and realising he was in some kind of garage. The whole room held a faint smell of oil, rubber hoses hanging on the walls and an old workbench to his left littered with rusted screwdrivers and wrenches.

He ran his finger over the cold metal tools that held a little heat from the sunlight streaming over them, but not enough to stop him from shivering. Henry looked around, behind himself, and noticed a car, covered in vines everywhere except the hood. He made his way along the body of the car, peering into the windowless doors and noting it wasn’t in bad shape. He had fixed up a similar car with Killian not that long ago, and that one was in worse shape.

“1992, Jeep Wrangler Sahara,” he muttered to himself as he brushed some leaves from the hood. The huge, red and yellow emblem of _Jurassic Park_ stared back at him, the icon of the skeletal T-Rex the very same one that adorned the doorway outside.

Henry knew, without a doubt now, that he was exactly where he thought he was, and that meant he could try to get the car running and drive to Killian. The old visitor center was secluded, but Killian had set up home not far from it by car, and all Henry had to do was get the Jeep running in order to make his way to his friend. He twisted the hood clips and hooked his fingers under the lip of the hood, giving the metal as big a tug as he could manage. It lifted with a eerie groan, a scraping metal on metal sound, before Henry’s face lit up in joy.

The engine was intact, and more than that it was clean and free from the tendrils of vines that clutched onto every other surface in the place. It wouldn’t take much to troubleshoot the issue if any, the car had, and Henry would be on his way in no time.

\--

The dots dancing on the screen in front of Ruby indicated every person in the park, a huge mass of bodies all in one place as the park’s emergency protocol was initialized. Everybody on the island was gathering in one place, the central hub of the park, so that they could be counted and anyone missing found. Under normal circumstances this would be a brilliant idea, but they had never had an asset out of containment before, and it worried Ruby to watch the ‘newly reinstalled’ tracking chip of the Indominus Rex move towards the visitor centre. 

The asset containment team had come nowhere near to stopping her, all of them giving their lives in the struggle to subdue her, including one who had become an unfortunate meal for the huge hybrid dinosaur. As crude as it seemed, and it made Ruby’s stomach turn to even think about it, the idea to track her via the half-eaten man in her stomach hadn’t been such a bad idea after all. The huge blip on the screen was undoubtedly moving towards them and the huge mass of red dots on her screen, setting an easy feeling in her bones.

“She’s moving further south,” Ruby said a little panicked, watching the red dot pulse on her screen. Three sections of the dinosaurs path had been marked off by her, each indicating an event that had happened in her reign of terror so far. One was her escape, named simply as ‘Paddock 11’. The second was when the asset containment team were slaughtered, marked as ‘ACU attack’, and the third, and the most bone-chilling, was ‘Visitor attack’, which Ruby knew was where they had found the remnants of Henry’s gyrosphere.

It made her blood run cold.

“It’s headed right for the park,” she sighed, not even tearing her eyes away from the screen when the warmth of David Nolan looming over her shoulder distracted her.

“Why would she come here?” David frowned, leaning between Ruby and Mary Margaret, all three of them watching the imposing red dot near the visitor center.

Mary Margaret tried not to inhale his masculine scent with him so close, but David was more than just the park owner. He was a powerful man, something that came across in the way he dressed, the way he groomed himself and especially in the way he smelled. Like expensive cologne and fresh air, Mary Margaret was almost drunk on his presence, before the soft beep of the tracking indicator drew her attention back to reality.

“She can sense thermal radiation,” Mary Margaret said softly. “Our emergency measures have just put all of the warm bodies in one place.” 

“Like an all you can eat buffet,” Ruby muttered. The sadness in her voice was not unnoticed, but before anyone had a chance to say anything, the sound of the elevator doors opening made all three of them turn at once.

“InGen,” Walsh said quickly, flashing his security badge at the guard who threatened to stop him as he stepped from the elevator. The man took a step back at Walsh’s authority, shooting David an apologetic glance as he bounded down the steps towards them. Walsh held up his badge once more, stopping in front of the confused man in a suit he assumed was in charge, and the two women at his side. “Walsh.” He announced his name like they should know who he was, none of them looking impressed with his appearance.

David narrowed his eyes, already annoyed with the intruder. He stood upright, letting his shoulder relax a little as he realised who it was, and figured out exactly why he was in the control room. David was a rich man, and one of his security companies, InGen, was working on the island to try and, against his knowledge, train raptors for combat. David hated the idea, only hearing brief whisperings of the ongoings of one of his branch companies before the Indominus had escaped and he had set his priorities on more important things.

“I know who you are,” David growled, turning to stare at Walsh.

“Then you know why I’m here,” Walsh chimed gleefully. He came to a stop just in front of the three of them, Ruby’s face visibly turning up in disgust for the man. “I’ve been working for two years on the practical applications of raptors,” he said proudly, one hand planted on his hip and the other pointing to the overhead screen. “They can hunt and kill that creature.” Walsh grinned wickedly, the idea of killing something so attractive to him that everyone could practically feel his bloodlust.

David folded his arms over his chest, looking the man up and down, wondering how he had grown so brave as to talk to his boss in such a way. “Your program was to test their intelligence,” David reminded him, casually letting Walsh know that he knew what was really going on.

“Yeah, it was. And we did,” Walsh interrupted him quickly, stepping even closer to David. The taller man felt sick, naive and used and Walsh looked like a hunter about to consume prey. “And in the process we learned they follow orders.” He nodded to the screen again, the soft chatter of people in the park picked up from the two way speaker systems installed throughout the visitor centre they were currently hold up in. “You see, the solution to your crisis, is staring you right in the face.”

Walsh ran his tongue over his teeth, the glint in his eye reminding David of a snake about to strangle its prey. He sucked in a breath, not intimidated by Walsh and not allowing the man a single inch of leg room with which to metaphorically kick him to the ground. This was his park, and despite some transgressions going on behind closed doors by some underhand companies in his industrial umbrella, David would not give in to bullying.

“Let me be as absolutely clear as I can,” he snarled, staring directly into the dead eyes of the man in front of him. “No Velociraptors are going to be set loose on this island.”

Walsh laughed, his entire body moving back as he clutched his hand across his chest and pointed to David accusingly. “You’re outta your mind,” he chuckled sadistically, moving to focus his attention back on the screen above them. “You got twenty thousand people here, what are you going to do?” His laugh made David’s jaw clench, but he remained unmoved by Walsh’s tirade. “They got nowhere to go. What are you going to do? That thing is a killing machine!” He barked.

David remained unmoved, back straightening and shoulders pulled back as if to seem taller. Ruby and Mary Margaret watched, astounded at the man’s audacity. Ruby’s jaw hung open a little and Mary Margaret was seething, the light flirtation she had so far received from David seemingly threatened by the man berating his boss so brazenly. David had heard enough, Walsh’s insubordination something he could tolerate no further.

“Okay, here is what’s going to happen,” David begun, licking his lips and looking down at his shoes as he stepped towards Walsh menacingly. “I am going to personally look into your project to determine its viability within the moral principles of this company.” 

Walsh’s jaw ticked in anger and he snorted a sigh through his nose. “Okay, boss,” he said simply, emphasizing David’s title dramatically with a hiss. “Have it your way,” he snapped in irritation, turning away from the man in front of him and stalking back to the elevator.

David practically seethed at the insult, spinning on his heels and clicking his fingers to draw Ruby’s attention as soon as Walsh had left. “Ruby, get in touch with asset control,” he said firmly, remembering Killian’s earlier insistence on live ammunition. “Tell them to ready the M134 minigun-”

“You’re going to kill it?” Ruby interjected him.

“I think we can all agree that this has gone far enough,” David said solemnly. “This thing is my responsibility. I gave this entire project the green light-”

“This isn’t your fault,” Mary Margaret objected softly, jumping to her feet. She was closer than she had intended to be, their heaving chests almost touching as they breathed each other in. His scent was much stronger this close to him, her entire body buzzing from the near contact. “Please, don’t try and be a hero,” Mary Margaret croaked, her voice breaking a little.

“I won’t,” he smiled warmly. His hands came up to caress her arms, tracing the outline of her muscles with his thumb through the fabric of her shirt. He almost shook at the contact, the warmth of her skin like fire through her clothes, searing into his flesh so vividly he would never forget it.

“Ahem,” Ruby coughed, drawing them back to the room. “ACU are ready to go,” she said awkwardly, trying to focus on the screen in front of her rather than the display of affection at her side. 

“Tell them they have a green light,” David told her, his voice louder than before. He gave Mary Margaret’s arms a final squeeze, ignoring the way the entire room was watching him, and instantly loving the way her cheeks pinked under his stare. “They are good to go.”

\--

Henry blinked sweat out of his eyes, swiping the back of his grease-covered hand over his forehead and stopping more of the salty droplets from running into his eyes. The island was hot, the time of day something he was trying to contend with as he worked to fix the Jeep. There wasn’t actually much wrong with it and he had mainly been replacing a few parts for new ones he had found scattered around the garage space. There was just one more problem, and that was power. The battery in the old Jeep was dead flat, so Henry had been trying to wrangle one out of a nearby wreck.

He didn’t exactly know how the modern vehicle had come to be so close to the old visitor center, and if the blood over the driver’s seat was anything to go by, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He had explored around the compound in his search for parts, the battery the only thing he knew for certain needed to be as new as he could find. His heart pounded in his chest as he had found the battery of the crushed vehicle still intact, and had quickly worked to disconnect it.

Henry was just about done, lifting the heavily weighted box into his arms with a heft, when he heard a noise behind him. It was loud, like a huge wooden trunk snapping under the weight of something big, and he gasped suddenly, whipping his head towards the sound. Blood rushed through his ears, his short, shallow breathing seemingly too loud until he clamped his mouth closed and stared out into the jungle behind him. His eyes were wide with panic, desperately seeking any sign of movement in the trees, but there was nothing there.

“Totally safe,” Henry whispered to himself, clutching the battery harder to his chest and scuttling back up the steps to the old visitor center, back through the doors and leaning all of his weight against the wooden door until it scraped closed. “Totally safe,” he said again, the echo of the door closing fading into nothing and leaving him with just the jungle sounds again.

Henry rushed through the deserted room, towards the narrow doorway at the back where the Jeep was waiting. He lifted it into the battery compartment with a grunt, connecting the contacts with one of the rusted wrenches he has found, the muscles in his arms burning with every pull of tightening the bolt. He wiped his brow again, heaving a sigh, before moving around the Jeep and hopping into the driver’s seat.

This bit was easy. Killian had shown him how to turn over an engine so many times, even letting him drive around his little part of the island. He had to be careful so as not to flood the engine, he knew that much, and as he pushed the key further into the ignition where he had found it, he hoped the barrel wasn’t seized. 

“Here we go,” Henry mumbled, twisting the key and stretching his leg into the footwell to stamp on the pedal. The engine gave a coughing sound, the entire Jeep rocking from side to side, but it stopped almost immediately. Henry flopped back in the seat, taking a breath, and then shuffled forward again in the cab, gripping the huge, round wheel. He pressed his foot down again and turned the key, eyes pinched closed. “Please, please, please,” he chanted quietly, fingers gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles went white.

The engine coughed again, then it ticked a few times, the screeching sound turning into the low rumble and low chugging sound of the cylinders as the fuel ignited in them and the engine started. 

“Yes!” Henry shouted over the engine sound. He slammed his hand into the wheel, overjoyed at the sound the engine made when he revved it to keep the timing. “Thank you, Killian,” Henry beamed, jumping out of the cab so that he could close the hood. The old metal cover fell closed under its own weight and a loud click and Henry ran back to sit behind the wheel once more.

\--

“What was that?” Emma whispered, stopping suddenly and grabbing Killian’s arm. He was in front of her, leading the way through the dense forest, when Emma heard the rumble of a misfiring engine close by. “It sounds like an engine,” she gasped, realisation hitting her.

Killian must have realised what she had at exactly the same time because he took off through the trees before she had time to move her feet, gun clutched to his body and the branches whipping at his bare forearms. The sound was close, and it meant so was somebody else. The only person unaccounted for on the island right now was Henry, but a darkness loomed over their joy as Killian soon realised that if they could hear the engine, so could the Indominus Rex.

The reached a clearing pretty quickly, the sunlight squeezing through the canopy over head and almost highlighting the shed to them. Killian stumbled onto the concrete floor first, dust and debris all over the place except for two perfectly neat tyre marks indicating where a vehicle had driven out. Emma scanned the small room, parts of cars all over the place and a half stripped shell of a Jeep next to the tyre marks. Her breathing sped up, her anxiety spiking as she realised she had just missed her son.

“Is this Henry’s?” Killian asked softly and Emma spun to face him. He was kneeling down in the dirty, gun clutched in one hand and a dirty shirt in the other. Emma breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed the light blue shirt was in fact the one Henry had packed into his backpack earlier that day.

“Yeah,” she breathed and Killian stood, offering her the shirt. Emma took it in her hands and clutched it to her chest, inhaling the salty smell of water mixed with Henry’s boyish scent. She looked out of the garage, watching the flattened grass try to sway in the wind, the distinctive tracks a car wide. “That road goes straight back to the park,” she smiled. 

Killian investigated the shack some more, leaning his gun down against the body of the old Jeep next to them. He looked inside and the engine bay was bare, completely stripped of component. A few footprints littered the dust around the front of the car, smaller, squarer ones, like someone had been on their tip toed and he smirked to himself proudly. “Henry got one of these things started,” he declared, turning to face her again.

“How?” Emma frowned.

“I taught him,” he said quickly and Emma looked at him, impressed. She held his gaze, eyes flicking to his lips, before she moved to his side. She heard his breath hitch a little when she reached out and took his hand in her, gently tugging on the tips of his fingers with a smile.

“Thank you,” she said sweetly. “For being his friend.”

“It’s nothing, love,” Killian blushed, dropping his gaze to their entwined fingers. 

“It might have saved his life,” Emma told him firmly, giving his fingers a squeeze. 

Killian felt a conflict within him, the urge to kiss her so overwhelming he felt dizzy with the thought of it. Emma had made her intentions clear that night, a one time thing, but Killian had no idea she was actually serious until he had woke up to a cold, empty bed. He had wanted to call her, reach out like she was doing now, anything to feel her skin on his again, but there was constantly a wall between them that he couldn’t scale. 

Killian was just about to lean forward, tugging her to him at the same time, when the thundering sound of huge footprints made them both freeze on the spot. Emma pulled her hand from his like she might be caught doing something she shouldn’t, and whipped her head towards the forest behind her. The sound echoed through the trees again, closer this time, and Emma glided across the floor silently to stand behind him in front of the Jeep. Another snapping sound from the trees made a flock of birds take flight, and they dropped to the floor, hiding in front of the car without a sound.

With a sudden thought, Killian looked down at his hands and realised he had left his gun propped up beside the Jeep, and as he peered around the edge of the vehicle to make sure, the huge, reptilian foot of the Indominus Rex appeared right outside the garage. Killian whipped back into position beside Emma, neck rigid, mouth tightly closed so as not to make a sound. The dinosaur snarled, the low rumbling giving Killian chance to exhale and he locked eyes with Emma, shushing her silently.

She nodded her head slowly, partly through fear as her body was shaking so hard, and partly because she had to give him a signal. The whole garage turned dark suddenly, the stench of blood and rotten meat filling the space between them as the Indominus poked her massive head into the space previously occupied by Henry’s Jeep. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled, the space only just accommodating her huge bulk as she finally opened her eyes and the pupil narrowed to a black slit.

Emma grabbed Killian’s hand, her fingers trembling, and she pinched her eyes closed. She was petrified, glued to the spot in the dirt where she sat, her bottom lip rolling under her teeth where she bit down to stop herself from crying out. Killian watched her, desperate to soothe her fear, but all he could do was hold onto her hand and rub his thumb over her knuckles, aware that the huge dinosaur was as close as ever.

A chain rattled overhead when the dinosaur moved, twisting her neck to the side and then nudging the side of the Jeep. Killian wasn’t sure if she knew they were there, or she was just simply curious about the strange vehicle she had never seen before, but he was sure he didn’t want to find out. The Jeep rocked behind them, bumping Emma in the spine and forcing her forward in the dusty floor. 

Killian held her hand tightly, holding her steady when she began to quake all over, her golden hair bouncing on her shoulders where it sat. He leaned into Emma, away from the dinosaur’s snout as she toyed with the Jeep some more, and their foreheads touched. Emma’s lips trembled, head shaking from side to side against his, and a single tear fell from her closed eyelids with her terror. Killian couldn't move to comfort her, instead just simply clutching her hand with everything he had.

With a loud creak of metal, the Jeep was lifted from the floor but then dropped quickly, the Indominus clearly tiring of her game. The car was of no interest to her anymore, and she slowly pulled her head out of the garage with a shuffling sound, the raptor-like call not going unnoticed by Killian. Her footsteps grew more distant, but they had no idea where she was going, or if she had gone anywhere at all. Killian moved as silently as he could, releasing Emma’s hand reluctantly to reach around the Jeep and grab his gun, the barrel held to his chest when he resumed his position next to Emma.

Emma looked at him, meeting his nod of assurance with her own, letting him know she was alright. They both exhaled, a little harder then they probably should have, and before they had time to react, the ceiling was being pushed down on top of the them as the Indominus Rex crashed through the panelling. Killian grabbed Emma’s arm, yanking her to her feet and pushing her through the door to what he assumed was safety. He couldn’t tell, and he didn’t know what lie on the other side in the darkness, but it had to be better than the jaws of the massive dinosaur above them.

Indominus Rex screeched in frustration at their escape, Killian slipping through the door just in time to miss the Jeep carcass that was nudged into the tool chest that had been in front of them a few moments ago. They sprinted through the darkness, vines whipping at their flesh, shorter trees that had sprouted on the floor grabbing at their ankles, but they ignored it to push through to the light flooding in the door up ahead. It was slightly ajar, and Emma slipped through the gap before Killian, sprinting out into the forest.

The Indominus Rex smashed through the wall behind them, light flooding in behind her and she roared, her massive jaws opening like an alligator and the raptor-like screeching sound coming from her throat once more. For a second she was still, dropping to all fours where she crushed the skull of the T-Rex that previously held reign over the _Jurassic Park_ visitor center, her massive bulk dwarfing the bone and crushing it into dust like it was nothing.

The sound of a helicopter overhead drew her attention, the chopping of the blades through the air making the dinosaur fall silent as she listened for the sound. It was new, potentially prey, so with a whip of her tail she spun on her agile heels and headed back out of the side of the building she had barged through. Her footsteps grew distant and Emma and Killian skidded to a stop, turning to watch her head in the opposite direction.

“Call your team,” Killian told her breathlessly. “We’ll follow her.”

Emma was already waiting for the call to connect before he had finished talking, Ruby’s name on the sat phone hidden as Emma pressed it to her ear. It wasn’t long before the call connected with a prolonged click, Emma’s pants flowing down the line as her and Killian gave chase.

“Ruby, we found her!” Emma cried, her words broken by how hard her feet hit the ground and her body vibrated. “South of the Gyrosphere Valley.”

“Wait, are you following the dinosaur?” Ruby screeched, checking her screen for a status update. The tracker had stopped moving recently and they had all come to the conclusion that she had deposited the device at some point as she headed south of the island.

“Yes,” Emma said definitely.

“Are you crazy?” Ruby told her friend, real worry in her voice.

“Get ACU out here,” Emma panted, ignoring her friend’s concern. “Real guns this time.”

“ACU is already airborne,” Ruby told her with a shake of her head. 

Emma skidded to a stop and Killian followed suit, both of them coming up on an ledge that overlooked the part of the island where the aviary housed the flying dinosaurs. A huge domed greenhouse type structure sat in the distance, so big it looked closer than it was, and below them Emma could see the movement of trees as the Indominus headed towards it. Her roaring cry was overshadowed by the sound of a helicopter as it flew overhead, dipping into the valley and approaching its target.

“They’d better hit it this time,” Killian huffed, gripping the barrel of his gun in anger.

“They are professionals,” Emma told him, still breathless from running.

A snort escaped Killian’s mouth and he looked at her with a raised brow. “So were the last guys.”


End file.
